The Veil Between Love and Hate
by jackalope21
Summary: Everyone has pasts they're running from, secrets they don't want anyone to know, and somehow they always find their way to Mystic Falls. The small town is poison and draws the people willing to suffer to it. Rated T for now because of later chapters but is subject to change. The story moves from the Vampire Diaries to the Originals.
1. Chapter 1

**This is all going to being in the Vampire Diaries universe before moving into the Originals. The episodes and seasons are at the top of whichever chapters coincide with them so it's easier to know what's happened. Let me know what you think. Thanks!**

Season 2, Ep. 19

Klaus

_Cold, dead eyes stared down at her. There had been a hint of remorse that flashed for nothing more than an instant before disappearing completely again. The evil took over; flowing into his features like the demon he was as his hands remained wrapped around her throat._

"_I am sorry, but he's left me no choice." he told her in an even voice._

"_Why?" she cried, the tears streaming down her cheeks._

_There was a snap. A thud. Silence._

She woke with a start, breathing heavily as she tried to steady her head. The nightmare was nothing new but for some reason it was accompanied with an ungodly searing pain in her head. Her vision turned white when she opened her eyes, her head throbbing. It felt like someone was stabbing her in the temple with a hot poker and twisting it just to be mean.

Without warning, the pain stopped. She breathed heavily, panting as she tried to steady herself. She heard whispering in her ears. The noise came from nowhere in particular, but still echoed in her brain. She looked around in the darkness as the whispers repeated the same word over and over again. She strained her ears as the whispers began to scream at her, the word overlapping and making everything difficult. And then, as though sensing she couldn't understand, one solid voice spoke.

"_Bonnie."_

The word rang in her ears clearly and made her back go tight. She flung the blankets off her body and dressed before racing from the house.

~~!~~

Bonnie and Jeremy were sitting in the basement of the rundown house, the lights from the candles flickering with each passing breath. They watched the shadows dance across the walls, the way they moved and pulsed as though they were alive. Bonnie never felt so safe anywhere in her life than she did there. Most people would see that place -the decrepit building that looked like a strong wind would force it to fall in on itself- as sinister and haunted, but she felt alright. She knew most of it had to do with Jeremy being there with her.

She took a breath and smiled, wrapping herself in the blanket when something sounded in the distance. A car was approaching, shrieking brakes shattering the silence. The two perked, sitting up a bit higher than before.

"Does anyone else know I'm here?" she asked quietly.

Jeremy shook his head and reached for a stake.

"Stay here." He whispered before standing.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and stood regardless. He wanted to tell her to stay behind, but of the two of them, she was probably the strongest. Relenting his efforts, the two walked up the stairs and into the main level of the home. A slamming car door filled their ears, but as they stood behind the edge of a column, they couldn't see anything else.

Jeremy motioned for Bonnie to stay behind the obstruction, if anything so she wasn't seen and to this she agreed. Neither of them wanted to risk Klaus or someone else seeing her after everything they had gone through that night. Slowly, still holding the stake, the young man began to make his way towards the door. He cursed every creaking floorboard when a figure emerged in the doorway faster then he could blink.

The door swung open with a creak and the figure remained where it was. He knew vampires weren't allowed in the building because the witches hated their kind, but he was still nervous. He felt their eyes lock with his and froze the moment they did. Whether he could see them or not, he knew their gaze was on him.

"Is she safe?"

The feminine voice made Jeremy tense slightly. That hadn't been what he was expecting, Bonnie even less so. When he didn't answer the figure looked around the doorway. He wondered briefly what she was doing until she stepped through the threshold and walked to his side. Vampires couldn't do that, so he relaxed marginally at best. At least the stranger wasn't going to eat them… maybe…

"Is she safe?" she asked again.

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't. In the dim lights, he could see the intense green eyes staring back at him from the concerned face of a young woman.

"Kalli?"

Bonnie could see the young woman now and couldn't believe her eyes. The stranger's head snapped to the side and noticed Bonnie walking out from behind the column. She sighed her relief instantly.

"Jesus Bonnie." She sighed, walking towards the witch. "What happened?"

"How did you know I was here?"

"I had about fifty pissed off Bennetts yelling at me." She laughed. "Amazingly enough, your Grams was the loudest one."

Bonnie seemed to smile at the thought, musing sadly over it as Jeremy slowly walked towards the two.

"You know her?" he asked Bonnie.

She nodded.

"This is…" the young witch hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to introduce the stranger.

"I'm K." She offered, extending her hand kindly. "I'm a friend of the family."

He nodded slowly, still having trouble comprehending everything as he shook her hand.

"So," K chimed, clapping her hands as she turned her attention back to Bonnie. "Want to tell me _why_ I have a bunch of dead witches screaming at me?"

"It's nothing." Bonnie said.

The lie was obvious, but Bonnie did little to hide it in the first place.

"Uh-huh…" she muttered, glancing to Jeremy. "Can you give me a second with her please?"

He looked from the stranger, a person he had never met and then to Bonnie. He thought quickly before shaking his head.

"No." he replied simply.

"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Jeremy." Bonnie answered defiantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, wanting Bonnie to be certain.

Instead the young woman nodded again, still standing firm on her assessment. K nodded and sighed, wondering what exactly had happened since the last time she had seen the Bennett witch.

"Bonnie, you know as well as I do my arrangement with your family." She said simply. "So I doubt everything's alright when I've got generations of them all yelling at me and giving me directions no less, to where you are. Now what the hell is going on?"

Bonnie didn't speak for a moment and K knew why.

"Look, I know you don't trust me…"

"You pretended to be my friend." She snapped.

"No, I didn't. I was your friend. I _am_ your friend, just like I was with everyone else in your family. Nothing's changed."

"You're just like them."

"Fine." K answered defeated. "If you don't want to trust me that's fine, but you know there's nothing I can do about it. You don't want me around, just say so."

Bonnie stood still for a moment, staring at the stranger who'd magically appeared only a few minutes prior. Her brows were pulled together as she thought about what to do. Jeremy was just lost. He didn't have any idea what was going on, but whatever it was, Bonnie seemed conflicted while her friend just looked sad.

"Okay." She said in a quiet voice. "I, Bonnie Bennett, a descendent of the Bennett line, release you from your binding pledge to me and mine."

Both Jeremy and K looked absolutely shocked by what the young witch had said, the words she used and how sternly she had spoken them.

"Wow." K said surprised. "Well… thanks. But I'm still not going anywhere."

It was Bonnie's turn to look confused. K smiled kindly.

"Believe it or not, I still consider you a friend. Even after you were mean to me." She smiled. "So come on. Just tell me what's…"

Before she could finish her sentence, K was hit with another debilitating headache. She cried out, suddenly collapsing on the ground and grabbing her head tightly in her hands. She curled into herself, Bonnie and Jeremy too stunned to help her.

Everything ached, pulsed and throbbed. She felt like her body was trying to break from the inside out and unless she held her head tightly, it would explode. For days the headaches came more and more and they grew worse. Each one was harsher than the last and K was suffering for it.

_Cold blues eyes shined in the shadows, glowing with unnatural evil and hatred. Darkness surrounded her, his taunting laughter echoing in the distance and the pain started. Her throat split open, blood pouring from the wounds being created and the life slipping out of her. All the while the laughing rang… laughing…_

"What's happening?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know. I'm not doing it." Bonnie shot back panicked.

As quickly as it had started, the headaches ended. K pressed her palms flat to the dirty floor, breathing heavily as her ponytail fell to the side of her face. She was still trembling slightly before she rolled over onto her back with a groan.

"Ow…" she croaked, her cheeks glistening with the tears the pain had forced out.

Bonnie rushed forward and kneeled at her friend's side. She looked down at her worriedly.

"What the hell happened?" she asked.

"Headache." K sighed, wiping her cheeks.

"Headache." Bonnie repeated in sarcastic disbelief. "Headaches don't take you to your knees."

"Yeah well, I'm lucky that way I guess." She replied, pushing herself up onto her feet and Bonnie standing upright too. "They've been like that for the passed couple of days. I don't know why, but it's been those and nightmares."

"Nightmares? You get nightmares?"

K nodded as she dusted herself off.

"Yeah. There are these faces. I can see them but not really, you know? It's hard to describe but it doesn't matter." She looked back up and forced a smile. "I'm more interested in what's going on _here_."

Bonnie sighed, glancing over her shoulder at Jeremy, silently asking for his advice.

"Don't look at me." He said, holding his hands up. "I don't even know what's going on_ right now_."

The young women smiled at his comment before Bonnie resigned and nodded.

"Okay." She sighed. "Have you heard of the Originals before?"

"As in the Original vampires?" she asked, Bonnie nodding. K ignored the ice that moved down her spine. "Yeah, what about them?"

"We're trying to kill them."

K looked stunned by the small woman's declaration.

"Oh good." She chimed in a high pitched, falsely happy voice as she stared at Bonnie in shock. "Here I was thinking you might be in trouble."

"Oh it gets better." Jeremy said.

Bonnie took the young woman into the basement where their living situation had been set up and filled her in on everything that had happened. She told her about Klaus, about Elena and everything else. K took it in stride, unable to believe most of what she was hearing and hating that things sounded vaguely familiar.

~~~!~~~


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bonnie had to remain in hiding for the longest time. The others thought she was dead, the ones that could hurt her, so she had no choice and she hated it. She was so bored. Having Jeremy with her and K too helped, but she wanted nothing more than to kill Klaus and put an end to all of the pain he'd caused. The vampires were becoming a bit too much for her to take.

At one point, Bonnie told K she had to go and talk with Elena and the brothers. She was a bit out of the loop and if K really was going to help them kill Klaus or protect Bonnie, she had to know what was happening. The witch had called Elena and told her K was in town, something Elena didn't know, and filled her in as best she could. She still didn't tell her everything and knew K would.

There was a knock on the door. Elena, Stefan and Jenna looked at one another for a moment, confused as to who it may be when Elena remembered Bonnie's phone call. She rose from her chair, Elijah walking into the room just as confused as the others.

"Who is it?" Stefan asked, unwilling to let Elena answer the door herself.

"Bonnie's friend K." She replied, walking towards the front of the house. "Bonnie said she's going to help us."

"You know her?"

She nodded, turning to face him and seeing his apprehension.

"Yeah." She answered. "I guess her family's known Bonnie's for a really long time. I met her a while ago, but she moved about a year or two ago. Bonnie said she's in town."

Elena turned again but Stefan reached for her arm. His brow was still furrowed.

"She just magically comes to town the day before a full moon to help us fight Klaus?" he asked under his breath. "This doesn't bother you?"

She looked him in the eyes, the same theory beginning to work its way into her mind.

"You think she's working with Klaus?"

"I think there's something we don't know." He replied. "Look, don't tell her anything that can compromise us. Okay?"

Elena nodded and moved slowly towards the door. She plastered on a fake, reassuring smile and opened the door to reveal the young woman on the other end.

"Hey Elena." She smiled.

"Hey K." Elena greeted, her voice a bit stretched.

The young woman in the doorway only kept her kind smile, pulling her sunglasses up onto the top of her head and glancing to Stefan who was just behind his girlfriend. Stefan felt recognition sweep through him. She was nothing too special, not really. K was a beautiful young woman like the others around them it seemed, with fair light skin, ebony black hair and a heart shaped face that made her look all the more innocent. Her clothing was nothing special, a pair of jeans and knee high heeled boots, a simple t-shirt and a leather jacket topping off the look with some random silver jewelry, but it was her eyes that made everything snap into focus. K's intensely green eyes that bordered on unnatural shining through thick lashes made Stefan's back tighten.

"Well, Stefan Salvatore." She smiled wide. "Fancy running into you here."

"How do you two know each other?" Elena asked bemused.

"Long story." She said.

"Okay. Well come…"

"No."

Elena jumped slightly with K's quick words.

"Maybe we should talk before you actually invite me in."

Elena's brows pulled together as she looked at the young woman. There was only one reason anyone in Mystic Falls would refuse to be invited into a home.

"You're a vampire." she muttered in a quiet voice.

K just smiled and shrugged.

"When? How long?"

K took a few steps back to the ledge in front of the door that stretched between the two brick columns. She jumped up and sat on it, crossing her legs and looking at the two in the safety of the doorway.

"I take it Bonnie didn't explain any of this to you?"

The two shook their heads. K sighed and nodded, running her fingers through her hair and pushing it out of the way.

"Well, let's start with the easy stuff." She adjusted herself on the block slightly to face them better. "I am a vampire." She exaggerated the words and actually bowed as though presenting herself to them. It would have been funny if it still wasn't so new. "So Stefan, I guess this means you and Damon both turned?"

"Yeah." He answered, taking a few unsure steps closer to her, crossing his arms over his chest. He still wasn't sure what to make of the situation. "You just missed him."

"Damn." She rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "Guess this means he hasn't been staked yet?"

Stefan chuckled lightly, his tension lifting slightly.

"So how do you two know each other?" Elena asked, wondering whether or not she should leave the safety of the home.

"K was friends with Emily." Stefan answered. "Longer than Katherine if I remember right."

K nodded grimly.

"Yup." She nodded. "I've been friends with the Bennett witches for a long, _long_ time."

"So, what does that mean? Does that mean you're here to help us?" Elena asked.

K smiled warmly again and crossed her legs again.

"I can understand why you're skeptical of my being here and I get it. With the big bad Originals running around, any new faces would probably put me on edge too, but yes I am here to help."

"Why?" Stefan queried.

"I can't let anything happen to Bonnie." She answered bluntly. "I know the risks of this, what it could do to her and I'm not going to let her get hurt."

"But you're barely around. You haven't even been around for over a year." Elena defended, not liking K's insinuation that she was the better friend.

K and Stefan could easily hear her insulted tone.

"Elena," she said calmly, sliding from her perch and approaching calmly. "I'm magically bound to the Bennett coven, to protect them."

"What?"

"It's a blood spell. A long time ago, one of Bonnie's ancestors bound me to her family, to protect the line and make sure nothing happened to break it through the centuries. I will always protect the youngest member."

"How did she do something like that?" Stefan asked curiously, wondering how the hell a vampire could be bound to a coven of witches.

"I offered." She answered simply.

Both couldn't hide their shock. She had answered so easily, it took a minute for either of them to understand what she had even said.

"Okay… why?" Elena finally asked.

"A Bennett witch saved my life so I offered to do anything I could to help her. She asked, I agreed, so I'm bound to the family until they release me." K explained, not willing to tell them Bonnie had already done so. In her mind, it didn't matter. She still felt the need to protect the little girl she'd watch grow up, especially now that her Grams was gone. If anything, she would protect her during what was going to easily be a trying and dangerous plan. After that, maybe she'd finally live her own life, but not before.

"Wow…" she mumbled, uncertain of what to even think at the moment let alone say.

"So what does this mean?" Stefan asked, taking another step forward. "Are you going to help us kill Klaus or what?"

"It means that I'll do anything needed to make sure Bonnie doesn't over exert herself or get hurt." She said simply for the third time. "If that means killing that thing, then yeah, I'm going to help you anyway you need me to."

They nodded. Stefan felt he could trust her a little more than Elena could for the simple fact he knew her so long ago when Katherine was staying with his family. But he was still skeptical. He didn't like how convenient everything was, that she showed up so quickly and right before everything was supposed to happen. After everything they had gone through with Isobel, he was suspicious of anyone offering their help so freely.

"Call me if you need anything." She said kindly. "I'll be with Bonnie and Jeremy until everything happens. I'll see you later."

Stefan nodded and with a final smile to the two, she raced off, disappearing from their eyes and back to the witch she was meant to protect.

~~~!~~~

**Ep. 20**

The Last Day

The group congregated in the living room, trying to come up with some kind of plan when there was a knock on the door. Elena knew K was on her way over. Jeremy had text her and told her to expect the young woman so she could help with whatever they came up with to battle the Original bastard. So she stood and opened the door, not willing to keep sitting and have nothing to do.

"Hey," she said heavily.

K forced a smile as best she could. She knew nothing good was going to happen any time soon.

"Come on in." Elena offered before K could stop her.

The vampire sighed and closed her eyes briefly at the invitation, but eventually nodded and entered. She hated when people invited her in. Honestly K felt like that was the one thing humans deserved, a sanctuary from her or her kind. But evidently, some people didn't mind.

Elena waved for her to follow and she did. The two made their way into the living room where everyone sat listening to Alaric retell his time under Klaus's spell.

"Jenna, you remember K right?" Elena asked as she regained her seat.

"Hi." Jenna nodded with little enthusiasm.

"How's it going?" she asked rhetorically.

"Impossible."

The word was barely whispered but drew the attention of everyone in the room. Elijah stood behind the couch Jenna was seated on. He stared at K, horrified if they had to guess the emotion. K's brows pulled together in confusion along with everyone else in the room. Elijah slowly pushed himself away from the plush surface he was leaning against and took steps towards the young woman.

"Excuse me?" she asked apprehensively.

She was being ogled and didn't like it. There was something off about the way Elijah eyed her and it made K's back tense on reflex.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, taking a step back when Elijah was only a few feet away.

He stopped his advance abruptly. The young man's eyes narrowed marginally, his head tilting ever so slightly as he stared at her.

"You don't remember me." He said. It wasn't a question, just a simple observation. He sighed briefly to himself when he understood. "Of course not. Then again, after the dagger… perhaps."

"No," she replied sarcastically, meeting his eyes fully for the first time. "Should I…"

Without warning K's body seized and she collapsed to her knees. She gripped the side of her head and screamed in pain. Those who'd been sitting shot to their feet, everyone else jumping from the unexpected reaction. Elijah only continued to watch her as though he anticipated the response. Still K screamed as her brain was forced to see things she didn't understand. Images, conversations, situations and memories of things passed swarmed her mind and flooded her consciousness all at once. It hurt. A decade of things she'd been forced to forget had suddenly come swimming back without warning.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, K finally stopped screaming. Her head was down, her palms against the hardwood floor while she struggled to catch her breath. Suddenly everything that had been fighting to be noticed, to be remembered, was as clear as the day it happened. The nightmares… everything was back.

Slowly, her head moved up until K was staring through the few tendrils of her hair that had fallen into her face. When they gained focused, they fell only to Elijah.

"_You,_" she hissed wickedly through her teeth.

"Ah," he sighed heavily. "You do remember me."

As suddenly as she had collapsed, K launched herself at Elijah. The composed young man barely managed to dodge her violent swipes. Still looking as though she was nothing more than a bothersome fly, Elijah managed to grab hold of K's wrists and spun her around until her back was planted squarely to his chest. He wrapped himself around her the best he could to try and speak before she caused proper damage.

"Calm yourself." He told her, struggling to keep the fighting vampire under control.

"I'll kill you!" she screamed, her face twisting into the demonic creature she was.

Those gathered watched in shock at the sight before them, none knowing how to try and ebb the obvious hatred.

"You need to calm down child." He said, slowly beginning to lose his patience.

"This is all your fault." She continued as angry tears gathered in her eyes. "Everything that's happened, _all_ of it is your fault you sadistic piece of…"

"_Enough."_ He snapped angrily in a language the others couldn't understand. K bit down on her lip but stopped struggling briefly. _"There is a time and place for this discussion and it isn't now. Not here."_

K spun herself in his grip, forcing Elijah to let her go. She stepped back from him quickly and squared herself to him. She glared hatefully at the calm and collected young man, breathing heavily with unanswered rage and her fangs on display as a result.

"It'd be wise if you put those away." He told her as he straightened his mussed jacket.

Slowly K calmed enough to let her features shift back to normal, but the glower never left nor did the extreme rage she felt for him.

"I will kill you for what you've done to me." She said so evenly and so coldly, for a split second everyone listening believed her.

"No child," he said easily. "You won't."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't,"

"Because I'm here to help you kill Niklaus." He said simply. "You remember him, don't you?"

K lost a shade of color or two and bit her lips again to keep from speaking. She began to back away from him until she hit a wall and there she remained, silent and fearful. Eventually, after moments of silence, the others began to revisit the plan to destroy Klaus.

While the others spoke briefly about what they planned to do, K and Elijah kept their eyes glued to one another. One had trouble believing his path was crossed with hers, while the other thought the world was against her because of it.

"I'm leaving." She finally said, interrupting someone, but she didn't care. She only wanted to get out and away from Elijah's stare. She began to step away, back away really, because it was the only way she felt safe. "If anyone cares, I'll be keeping a friend safe until tonight."

And with that she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Elijah lingered outside the dwelling saturated with K's scent. It didn't take him long to find her, not after what had happened in the Salvatore home, and while he had other things to tend to, he couldn't deny he felt a need to speak with the young woman.

Calmly, Elijah stepped up the few stairs that led to the duplex styled home's door. He knocked and replaced his hands behind his back to wait for the woman on the other side to answer. There was nothing for a moment, so he knocked once again. Seconds later he heard her walking towards the entryway and braced himself for what was going to happen.

When she opened the door, her face fell and her already pale skin lost a shade or two of color. While rage lapped within her eyes, he could see the fear and apprehension lingering as well. She clutched the edge of her door and the threshold as though she were safely hidden inside her house. Both knew otherwise. Both knew the spell only worked for living beings holding home titles. There was nothing keeping Elijah from storming passed her if he wanted to.

"What do you want?" she asked apprehensively.

"I told you we needed to talk, child. So I'm here to talk."

She looked over him briefly before meeting his coal black eyes with the slightest hint of brown mingling.

"You'll forgive me for not being overly hospitable."

His eyes smiled at her comment, but the sentiment never touched his lips. Instead he stepped to the side and waved his hand as though offering her the front porch.

"Then here." He said, silently telling her they could speak outside.

Again K let her eyes travel along Elijah before taking in her surroundings. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like the rest of the family would suddenly charge out of the shadows and take her. Reluctantly, K stepped one foot out and when nothing happened the other. Elijah walked towards the edge of her small porch, giving her enough room to feel comfortable. When he was leaning against the support beam holding up her awning, K stepped fully onto the porch and faced him, sure to keep a single hand on her doorknob.

"I take it," Elijah began as he placed his hands in his pockets. To anyone who cared to look, the pair could have been old friends talking about the weather. "Your memories have finally come back."

"Yes." She answered under her breath. "Why?"

She remembered clearly in her mind what happened, Elijah pulling her to the side and what he'd done to her. She remembered waking in pain and Elijah compelling her to forget any and everything she'd learned.

"When a vampire dies, every compulsion they had set in place fades. When I was daggered, the memories I forced you to forget suddenly came back."

K nodded slowly. She understood, but it didn't mean she liked it. But as she stood there, thinking over the things she'd forgotten and how much she wished they never came back; K was suddenly confronted with the things that happened directly after the compulsion. The fear she'd harbored for Elijah and what he might do began to diminish and her eyes turned dark. He noticed and waited patiently for her outburst.

"Why?" she asked with an edge to her word.

Elijah rose a brow.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do this to me?" she asked, the edge growing sharper. "What did I ever do to you to make _this_ an option?"

Elijah took a breath and sighed. His gaze shifted to the street. He watched the world move along without a care, ignorant to the things happening in its underbelly. Birds chirped, dogs barked and televisions rang out with mid-day talk shows.

"You will never know the love of a family," he said before meeting her eyes again sadly. "And I am truly sorry for that, but there is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for the safety and wellbeing of me and my siblings. You were a threat to that."

"How?" she snapped before she could stop herself. "I was nothing to you or your family, _nothing_. I'd have rather died on the streets than have to deal with the sadistic torture you and that disgusting brother of yours inflicted on me."

Elijah tried not to attack her or take her words personally despite them being aimed directly at him. He wanted to be offended, but he wasn't as uncontrollable as his brother. Unlike the youngest child, Elijah was able to keep his emotions in check.

"You were the only one in that house I trusted, the _only_ one, and you ended up being worse than Niklaus." She said derisively.

Again Elijah tried not to be offended because he knew there was a hint of truth to her words. He had been the one to betray her so completely and for nothing more than his desire to keep his family safe.

"Hindsight being what it is," he said after a moment. "I'm here now to help you and your friends."

"Why?" she dared. "After what you did to protect him, why would you suddenly stand against him?"

"It's a longer story than I feel like getting into. Suffice it to say, you have my word that I'll do anything I can to help end my brother. He's hurt far too many people, including me."

And without another word on the matter or an apology for what he'd done to her, Elijah pushed himself away from the beam and sauntered down the steps. He left as casually as he felt to while K was no closer to understanding anything that had transpired.

Deciding she felt safer within her house –despite the opposite being true- she stepped back within her door and closed it behind her.

_K sat in her room on the tuft of hay that was her bed. With shaking hand, she cleaned the blood from her throat, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She whimpered silently to herself, her mind racing with the trauma she'd just endured by the one she called Lord._

"_Child?"_

_The voice was familiar but sudden and she reacted as such. K scrambled to get away from the door, knocking the bucket of water over and spilling it across her dirt floor. Panting heavily and fear clouding her eyes, she didn't recognize Elijah as the one who entered her room._

"_It's alright." He said warmly, kneeling at her side and placing his hands on her shoulders. His eyes traveled to her throat. While the wound was nearly gone the blood she hadn't reached remained and stained the collar of her dress. He sighed and met her gaze again. "Come with me."_

"_Why?" she whispered for fear of being heard. "Where are you taking me?"_

"_Away." He said simply. "Come along."_

_Looping his arms around her, Elijah hoisted the young woman to her feet and scurried from the room. He had extinguished the torches that lit the halls to the lower levels of the house he shared with his family giving them the perfect darkness to escape. K clung to his arm with a grip so tight her knuckles were white. She held her breath, afraid she'd be heard otherwise._

_Elijah led her out of the house and into the darkness of night. Together they slipped into the tree line and after pulling her into his arms, they sped off into the distance. Miles flew beneath Elijah's leather clad feet. K cried softly, burying her face in his long hair to keep the wind from stinging her eyes. Fear still saturated her, the fear of the unknown, but she was willing to trust the only Mikaelson that never harmed her._

_Elijah spotted the clearing ahead, the one he'd scouted before stealing K. He slowed and finally came to a stop beneath a rather large and old tree. Gently loosening his hold, Elijah let K slide from his grip until her bare feet were nestled in the cold grass. She looked around, confused and worried. _

"_Where are we?" she asked softly, taking a few steps away from her savior and eying her surroundings. _

_She saw no hint of light, no torch and heard nothing that let her know which village they were closer to. Confused, she turned again to Elijah and saw his expression had darkened substantially. His eyes that were always warm seemed darker, black and the shadows being cast along his features removed any warmth she'd ever seen him hold. It sent fear shooting through her body and it saturated them. She took an apprehensive step back._

"_What's happening?" she asked, frightened she already knew the answer._

_Elijah said nothing. He walked closer to her. K wanted to keep as much distance between them as possible, taking a step back to match his advance, but Elijah was faster. He sailed across the grass in a flash and held her again. His grip on her shoulders was strong, giving the much weaker young woman no chance to escape._

"_I'm sorry, but he's left me no choice." He told her._

"_Why?" she begged, the word barely sounding as more than a breath._

_Before she understood what was happening, Elijah gripped her jaw and twisted. The snap of her neck echoed through the air and she crumbled to the ground, useless, dead._

_Elijah stared sadly at the girl who had done nothing wrong. She never disobeyed anyone, angered a soul and in that a normal person shouldn't have to die. K's fate was sealed, however, despite the kindness she showed everyone else around her. _

_Shaking his head to himself, Elijah retrieved the wooden shovel he'd left beneath the tree when he'd previously found the location. He sank it into the ground and began to dig. If anything, he knew she deserved a proper burial. Elijah wasn't going to leave the girl to the elements or risk animals finding her. After the fear she had been forced to live with, she deserved at least some peace._

_The hole was dug leisurely, taking an hour or better in time. He wasn't in a rush. By the time Elijah had finished, he was standing nearly waist deep in the earth. Tossing the shovel aside and out of the hole, he leapt onto the grass above and walked to K. Her body had grown cold in his absence. Cradling her gently, Elijah stepped back into the grave and set her down. He adjusted her body as though she were in a coffin, her arms draped across her chest and her ankles together. _

"_Poor child." He mumbled softly. _

_Shaking his head, Elijah noticed something interesting on her finger. A ring, one he recognized and caused him to smile was sitting on her left ring finger. He slid it from her skin and smelled the herb within. The small smile returned but was heavy with sadness. He knew he couldn't take the jewelry with him. If he did there was a chance he'd be discovered for what he'd done, so instead Elijah set it back on her hands, loosely threading her pinky through the metal. After all he didn't have to worry about it falling off._

_Ensuring everything else was in place and she looked as peaceful as she could, Elijah returned to the grass above. With the shovel, he started to cover her body._

_A thin layer of dirt had begun to cover the girl in the hole, her body and clothing now invisible when Elijah felt a jolt of something shoot down his spine. He paused, the shovel hovering over the mound of dirt that had yet to be dropped back into the ground. His eyes narrowed as he turned again to the grave. Without warning, K shot up, breathing deeply while dirt cascaded down her face._

"_Of course." He muttered begrudgingly to himself, quickly developing some kind of plan to cover what he'd done._

"_What's happening?" she demanded firmly, scrambling out of the grave as quickly as she could._

_Elijah tossed the shovel aside again and stepped towards the panicked girl. He knew he didn't have anything to fear in regards to her remembering anything new, but he also knew he had to do something. Suddenly appearing in her path, Elijah grabbed her shoulders and forced the soiled woman to face him._

"_Forget my face." He told her simply. "Forget the names and faces of my family, where we've lived or that you ever knew any of us. When I leave, stand here and count to thirty."_

_He didn't know what else to tell her. He honestly didn't care what she did; only that she didn't come back.  
_

"_Travel north until you find a village or a person. Live whatever life you can, but vampires don't exist."_

_Elijah knew in some regards he might have been condemning her to death, but he couldn't kill her twice. If she died somewhere down the line, fine, that was beyond his control, but he couldn't kill her a second time._

_Shaking his head, Elijah turned and ran, heading back towards the manor he shared with his siblings. K remained where she was, internally counting to thirty though she had no idea why until her body was under her control again. She looked around, didn't see anything she recognized. She didn't know where she was or what was happening._

_Confused and afraid, K glanced down and noticed she wasn't even wearing shoes, her body covered in dirt and a hole behind her. Nothing made sense. _

_A glint of silver caught her eye. Bending down, K fished a small silver ring out of the tall grass. She eyed it curiously before slipping it onto her finger. It felt… familiar, but it didn't clear her clouded mind. With nothing else to do, she began to walk North._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ep. 21

The Sun Also Rises

The trees bowed to the will of the young witch as she continued her assault on the hybrid. Klaus screamed and writhed in pain on the ground, his body twisting in unnatural angles as she continued to chant her spell. The wind surrounded them, whipping through the camp ground and forcing the fires to wane slightly. But still she kept going. K had walked to Stefan's side, helping the vampire stand as they watched Klaus scream, the sounds echoing through the woods.

Bonnie commanded the elements, nature itself bending to her will as she called upon every fallen woman in her bloodline, every witch that had ever heard of the hybrid and the one that had cast the original spell. K ripped the stake chunk from Stefan's back as Damon reached their sides. He still cradled Elena, but Stefan forced his brother to leave, unwilling to have Elena wake while Klaus was still alive. He couldn't risk it.

The assault continued to the point the unimaginable pain was bordering on torture and they were waiting for it. It made them smile but after a while, Klaus was sufficiently drained of any energy he would have had. He leaned against a rock when Bonnie stopped chanting, the lightening fading but still the wind blew.

Elijah walked forward, looking down at the man on the rocks, his face indifferent to the situation. Without warning, his fist plunged deeply into the hybrid's chest, securing Klaus's heart in his grip. He squeezed as Klaus screamed from a whole new degree of pain.

"On behalf of our family…"

"I didn't bury them at sea!" he offered quickly, anything to loosen Elijah's grip on his heart.

Elijah hesitated, still elbow deep in his brother's chest.

"Elijah, don't listen to him." Stefan all but pleaded, seeing the uncertainty cross Elijah's eyes.

"I can take you to them." Klaus breathed. "I give you my word. Brother."

"Do it and I'll take you both out." Bonnie warned.

"You'll die."

"I don't care." She growled.

Elijah looked from them to his brother, his mind trying to think of what would be better for him.

"Elijah, you gave us your word!" K yelled, taking a few steps closer as she spoke. She felt her heart begin breaking. "You promised me!"

Klaus's brow creased tightly at the new voice, his head turning to the side. His eyes were set on the newcomer, the one that hadn't been there when he was in Alaric, the one that spoken to his brother as though she had been in on the plot. She froze suddenly when his eyes fell to her, feeling the hatred and murderous rage that seemed to always linger beneath his relatively charming exterior.

"_You_." he growled, seeing the young woman hesitate.

K took a few steps back; standing behind Bonnie's left shoulder once again. The anger in the man's face was inescapable to the three watching him near death, each silently praying it would happen though Elijah's conviction seemed to wane. Elijah turned to look at the three, his face relatively blank as they shook their heads.

"Don't do this. It's the only way." K begged.

"I'm sorry." he replied before disappearing from their sights completely.

The three stood there, horrified and shocked at what had happened.

"Oh god…" K gasped.

The weight of what happened began to sink into those remaining. They had made him stronger. They had given him everything he wanted and now there was nothing that could stop him. Klaus would kill them all and they knew it. Klaus needed nothing but to gain strength and when he came back with his revenge, it wouldn't be swift. They all knew that he would string it out, make it last for as long as needed or until he got bored. The latter would be the most desired but least likely. If he got bored, he'd just flat out kill them but his boredom may not comes for decades or longer. Hell, he would probably turn all of those who weren't already vampires to ensure he had centuries of it before he killed them.

Later, everything began to even out better than they had thought, but the damage was done regardless. Jenna was still gone and now so was John. Everyone it seemed was dying except the person that they had wanted to. Hell was raining down on them and they knew it.

At the moment, they were standing at the cemetery, Elena placing roses on the graves of those she loved, tears gliding down her cheeks. Tears still streamed down her cheeks as Stefan led her away with everyone else. K remained in the background, there for support and nothing more, watching as Damon walked off on his own.

Damon heard footsteps behind him as he stared at the running creek. He glanced over his shoulder and sighed when he recognized the young woman.

"Go away." he replied simply.

K sighed, not really about to listen to the young man. She instead continued her approach, standing beside him as they both watched the babbling creek in front of them. Neither of them spoke for a while, Damon partially grateful though he wanted to be alone.

"Look, it's not that I don't love our little chats, but would you mind…" he began.

"Shut up Damon." she said, interrupting the vampire quickly. Damon looked at her, slightly surprised while her gaze remained on the water. "Have the hallucinations started yet?"

His eyes narrowed before shifting the surprise from his features. He did his best to make it look like she hadn't taken him aback as much as she had. She wasn't as ignorant as he had thought, but like every other time some one pegged him right, he shifted their focus.

"Sorry kid, I don't know what you're talking about." He answered in the same tone of arrogant uncaring he tended to use with everyone.

Instead of speaking, K grabbed his elbow and squeezed. The force never would have hurt the man before, but now there was a shooting pain. Damon snatched his arm back from her quickly, fighting the urge to rip her throat out. K only regained her composure, eyes still forward.

"That's what I thought." she said simply.

Damon glared openly at her, trying to will the pain to ebb, but it was getting worse by the hour. With a resigning sigh, he turned his attention back to the river.

"I don't want Elena finding out."

"Have you told anyone?"

He shrugged indifferently.

"Doesn't matter."

She scoffed slightly.

"You're a strange one aren't you?"

He cocked a brow to her. "I've been called worse."

A smile tugged at her lips.

"So, how'd you figure it out Sherlock?"

She said nothing and lightly tapped her nose. He eyed her skeptically.

"Bullshit."

She laughed lightly.

"How?"

"It's necrotic Damon. Once you sift through the smell of all that bullshit you're always spouting, it's easy enough to smell rotting flesh." she replied with a slight smile. "So, when were you bitten?"

"That Taylor kid nipped me last night." he sighed. "I don't know if I'm more pissed that I'm going to die, or that it wasn't even a real bite that did it."

"Definitely that it wasn't a real bite." she smiled, finally turning to look at the man.

Damon smiled to himself before facing her. He could see faint sadness in her eyes at his inevitable demise and couldn't keep the skeptical look from touching his face. Her smile turned genuine which only added to his confusion. Without warning, K suddenly moved forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. When she pulled back, there was nothing but utter shock on his face. K lightly touched his cheek. He scowled at the pity he saw reflected back at him.

"Too bad. I was hoping to have to put up with you for a while." she teased.

Damon scoffed, a smile touching his own lips.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I would've killed you soon."

"Yeah well, rather you than Klaus." she sighed, turning to make her way back to the streets. Damon only watched. "At least you'd have made it quick."

There was nothing about this chick that made any sense. With everything that had been happening, he barely had time to register that this was the same young woman he knew from back in the day and even less time for them to bury any hatchets they had slung in the past. She and Damon hated each other, slinging insults back and forth, each threatening the other with empty words and that was fun. But this, this was just… wrong. He didn't like her being kind and sweet to him. It made him uncomfortable.

Shaking the feeling away, Damon stayed where he was for a while before heading home. He didn't much want to be there while everyone was still gushing over the loss of yet another person. Though he had to admit, he felt horrible for Elena. Her adoptive parents, the ones that loved her since the day she was born, died little over a year prior. Her real parents died the day before, Damon having technically killed her biological mother years ago. Then her aunt Jenna, the one that had raised her since her parents died, just died the night before. Everyone she loved and cared about had died and he knew the longer she stayed around him or his brother, the list would just get longer until there was no family left.

As selfish as it sounded, he was glad he wouldn't have to be around to see her in all that pain when the last member of her family was finally taken away from her.

~!~

Back at their house, everyone sat around, no one speaking and most if not all of them with tears in their eyes. They didn't know what to do or how to make Elena feel better. Jeremy and Elena sat side by side with their hands interlocked, Stefan on the other side of the young woman and everyone else scattered around the room. There was a knock on the door. A few people perked while Elena still stared at the coffee table reeling.

Stefan rose to answer. When he had, K was on the other side smiling warmly to the young vampire. He nodded to her.

"I need to talk to Bonnie." She said quietly.

He nodded and turned to the living room. The young witch could see her friend on the porch and rose to meet her. Stefan smiled weakly at K before walking off.

"Stefan," she said quickly as Bonnie approached. He looked to her seeing worry on her face. "You need to see Damon. Now."

His brows came together. He wanted to ask why, but she wiped the serious look from her face as Bonnie stood before her.

"Can I talk to you outside?"

Bonnie nodded and walked onto the porch, closing the door behind her. The young woman women stood there for a moment, both feeling the heaviness of the situation, one more than the other.

"I need to ask a favor."

Bonnie tilted her head slightly.

"Is there a way for me to keep vampires out of my home without an invitation?"

"Why?"

There was worry stretched along the young vampire's face, but within the concern was an intense fear. Never had Bonnie ever seen K look so terrified of something.

"My own sanctuary." She joked with a weak smile. "Is there anything to mock the 'living owner' thing?"

"You want to be able to let in only the people you want in?"

"Basically yeah." She nodded.

"I can look. I think so, but I don't know." She answered, unsure of what was happening. "I think there are herbs and stuff you can use."

"Thanks." She smiled. "Um, I should probably go."

"Wait." Bonnie called, the young woman turning when she had made it only down one or more steps. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." She lied. "I'll talk to you later."

Bonnie nodded slowly as K walked down the steps and disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a bit short, but let me know what you guys think of the story so far and if I should keep going. Thanks.**

Chapter 5

Ep. 22

As I Lay Dying

For a while, everyone went about their own business. No one knew what to do, there wasn't a plan for anything and all they could do was wait. There were things happening in the city, some _Gone With the Wind _screening in the park that let everyone involved with the hybrid's attempted murder know the rest of the city had no idea how close to death everyone was. It was almost heartbreaking.

K had spent the day in her home. She didn't want to go anywhere and had more important things to do. She wanted to vampire proof her home. It was a tricky task given what she was. How do you protect your home against what you are? Any traps she laid could just as easily work on her and then she'd be screwed. The only thing she could do for sure was protect her windows and doorway from any unwanted guests while she was home. And she knew after the ritual, she was risking having one of the worst.

Stefan was on his way to Alaric's apartment, the one place he knew Klaus was still staying. It didn't take him long to find out why K had sent him after Damon, or what he was going to have to do to save his brother.

He opened the door having already been invited in, and saw Katherine still sitting on the couch. She yelled her anger at him for still being stuck in the apartment, the compulsion having worn off if Klaus was killed like he should have been. Before Stefan could explain, he was silenced when cold touched his neck. A second later, Klaus walked through the door with Elijah.

"Well, you just have a habit of popping up don't you?" he asked annoyed.

"I need your help."

Klaus seemed to perk slightly at the demand. It wasn't even a request, just a statement that he should help the vampire that nearly killed him.

"Do you now? And what might that be?"

"You have a cure for a werewolf bite. I need it."

"To help your brother, yes I know. Unfortunately, it's going to have to wait a tick because I have a promise to my own brother to keep first."

"You know how important family is otherwise you wouldn't be here." Elijah told him calmly. "And Klaus has promised to reunite me with my own."

"That I did." he answered before spinning and suddenly plunging a dagger deep within Elijah's chest. "Goodbye brother."

Elijah withered to the floor, looking like a corpse to all who cared to see, but they knew that if the stake was removed, he would be back. The sight of Klaus 'killing' his own brother sent chills down Stefan's spine. He couldn't help wondering what the hybrid would do to him if he wanted.

"Now then, where were we?" he asked casually as though nothing had happened.

He spoke so calmly it only added to the weirdness of everything. Without warning, Klaus lunged for Stefan and slammed him into the far wall, pinning him effortlessly to the brick surface. A wicked smile touched the hybrid's face and Stefan suddenly cried out. Katherine jumped from her hiding spot, seeing Klaus plunge a stake deep into Stefan's chest.

"Do you feel that?" he whispered almost endearingly. "Scraping against your heart? The slightest move and I can end your life."

"The witches said you had a cure." He panted, unrelenting in his attempts to save Damon.

"Ah yes." he smiled, waving Katherine over. "Katerina, you're arm if you will."

Apprehensively, she gave her arm to the man and within seconds, he bit down on her wrist. She screamed out, clutching the fatal wound while Klaus only smiled. He bit down into his own flesh and grabbed her again, shoving her mouth onto the bleeding hole before it closed. Reluctantly, she drank from the injury and he released her. In seconds, the wound on her own wrist closed.

"Your blood is the cure." Stefan concluded unenthusiastically.

"Nature's funny that way." he smiled, making his way to the bar for something to drink. "So, if I give you the cure, what can I expect in return? Because as it is, you're just a shade above useless."

"Anything." Stefan replied desperately.

"Anything hm?" Klaus smiled, turning with a glass of blood in his hand. "Well, let's see. That can encompass any number of things can't it?"

"What do you want?" he snapped, losing his patience.

"I will settle for information at the moment."

Stefan looked confused at the hybrid as he took a sip of blood.

"Tell me, what do you know of that little friend of yours? The one that was in the woods with you."

"Bonnie? What about her?"

"No not the witch." he snapped impatiently before his voice calmed. "The other one."

Stefan didn't understand, but he knew he had to say something. Damon's life depended on it but he didn't know if talking would endanger K too.

"What about her?"

"How long have you known her?" he asked, staring at the red liquid as he languidly swirled it inside the crystal.

"I've only just met her a little while ago." He lied completely neglecting to tell Klaus about their first meeting.

With Katherine under the hybrid's control for the past few days, she wouldn't know about K being in Mystic Falls. If he worded things just right, he would be able to keep as much of the truth from Klaus as possible.

"And how did you meet her?"

Stefan raised a brow to the man not meeting his eye.

"Through Elena." he answered sadly, knowing Klaus still thought she was dead.

"I see. Anything else you happen to have learned about her?"

Stefan didn't understand and Klaus easily saw the look. He could tell Stefan didn't have the information he needed. With a sigh, another thought came to the hybrid's mind. He smiled at the blood bags and knew what he was going to do.

"How is he?"

The voice made Elena jump. She turned in the bed quickly to see K lying along the windowsill, just outside where the barrier of magic would have been. It wasn't there anymore. The Salvatore home was under Elena's name and when she died in the woods, it negated any magical protection the dwelling possessed and Elena had already invited her in beforehand. But that didn't seem to stop K from slinking around like a supernatural burglar.

The young woman relaxed and laid back into the pillows, Damon slipping in and out of consciousness while she cradled him. Her head turned to K, the vampire sharing her concern. She looked oddly comfortable for balancing two stories up from the ground on a piece of wood no more than a few inches thick. But she just laid there, her back against the side of the window, her leg propped up against the other side as she looked in at her dying friend in the bed.

"About as good as can be expected." Elena answered.

K nodded sadly and Elena just kept watching her. Damon suddenly took a deep breath and shifted slightly next to Elena before opening his eyes. He looked around the room confused before noticing the young woman in the window.

"What'd I tell you about leaving the windows open?" he asked halfheartedly, his voice still incredibly weak. "Wild animals will just come right in."

K laughed and shook her head at the vampire.

"Good to see your mental clarity is sharp."

A teasing smile touched Damon's lips as he nuzzled into the pillow again like an ailing child, sweat still covering his forehead.

"Rest Damon. Don't tire yourself trying to be witty. The exertion will only kill you faster."

Damon laughed weakly at her comment before coughing again. The fit broke both women's hearts because they could see the pain it brought. Elena looked up to her friend in the window.

"I just wanted to see how he was doing." K said. "I should probably be…"

Before she could finish her statement, Katherine suddenly appeared in the doorway to the bedroom. She raised a brow to the girl in the window, but pushed passed any insults she felt like slinging. She was wise to. K didn't like the vampire.

Katherine went about giving Damon the cure and left Elena with a few choice words of wisdom. It only made them hate the woman even more.


	6. Chapter 6

**This one's short, but the next one is really long. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Season 3, Episode 3

The End of the Affair

It didn't matter how badly K wanted to stay away from everything. Somehow, it found her anyway,

"You don't know what you're asking." She said under her breath, looking at them both sadly.

"How can you even say that?" Elena asked desperately. "You know Stefan. Why won't you help us?"

"Because I can't."

"You mean you won't." Damon spat angrily.

"Because I can't!" she snapped.

They were stunned by her outburst, but more Elena than Damon.

"Please." She begged, her eyes watering slightly.

"You don't understand." K said in the same exasperated voice. "I can't go looking for Stefan even if I wanted to because he's with Klaus."

"What does Klaus have to do with it?" Damon asked, this time more curious than anything.

K looked away again, not wanting to meet their gaze as memories of everything began to surge through her brain. Her eyes began to tear and she began to shake as every horrifying memory. Everything from so long ago came burning back with a vengeance. She bit it back, no matter how painful it was and swallowed hard.

"Because I can't go near him." She said defeated. "If he sees me again, he'll kill me."

Damon narrowed his eyes further on the young woman and walked towards her. He'd seen that level of fear in her eyes before and always at the mention of Klaus. She kept her eyes glued to him, but could discern nothing of what he was thinking. Despite popular belief, Damon was a champion of keeping things contained. Unless he wanted you to know or was beyond the point of caring, telling what the vampire was thinking was next to impossible.

He continued to walk towards her until he hovered over the young woman. She looked up at him, pained and apprehensive.

"You've met him before, haven't you?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Her brows pulled together tighter than before and that was all the answer he needed. The fear she held for him wasn't from his reputation, it was the fear someone who knew him had, someone who knew him well.

"How could you not tell us that?" he growled before he began to yell. "You knew who he was the whole time and you didn't tell us? We could have killed him months ago."

"No." she snapped, her own anger coming through. "I didn't. I wasn't allowed to!"

"Elijah." Elena breathed.

Attention shifted to the young woman that had been in the background remaining silent while the two vampires yelled at each other.

"That's why you and Elijah were yelling at each other isn't it? Why you tried to kill him."

K nodded weakly. Damon eyed the vampire again, his confusion returning.

"Elijah had compelled me to forget everything, him, Klaus, everything that had happened to me."

"But it should've worn off when he was daggered the first time." He said.

"It did but it took a while to come back completely."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She breathed, tears moving down her cheeks. "It was slow at first, headaches and nightmares, but when I saw Elijah… everything came rushing back and then I knew…"

The two only kept their eyes on her, unsure of what to say as she began to tremble again.

"I knew it was all real." She said, still crying softly. "So please, I can't go near Klaus again."

Damon stared at her. He didn't know if he should be mad or understand her refusal to be near Klaus. He was still irritated that she wouldn't come with them to Chicago. He had thought that out of the people there -his ever shrinking circle of friends- that she would have been one to help. But K flat out refused.

"So not even for Stefan?" he asked, an edge still gracing each word. "Not even for someone you've known for almost a hundred and fifty years?"

"Don't." she snapped, pointing a stern finger at the vampire. "Don't you _dare _throw that back in my face. You didn't even know I was alive until a few months ago so don't stand there and play the best friends card. I was friends with Emily and you two were so enthralled with that bitch Katherine, you didn't say more than a few words to me the months she was there, so just don't okay?"

Damon bristled slightly, but didn't know if it was from her harsh words or the fact she was right. Elena had remained still for a most of the conversation before slowly approaching the female vampire. Her face was still sad and K could already tell what she was going to say. K looked mournfully at the young woman she was actually decent friends with and had known for probably six years total.

"Okay," Elena said, surprising both vampires. "Can you make sure everyone's okay, while we're gone I mean?"

K forced a weak smile and nodded.

"Of course."

Elena smiled her thanks and with that, turned to make her way to the car. Damon remained for a moment. He took a few steps closer to the K, still staring blankly at her. It was staggering. The loyalty she was known for was so strong and she openly admitted to refusing aid completely because the thought of being near Klaus terrified her. The mere thought of being in the same city was too much for her and brought her to tears.

"What'd he do to you?" he asked in a whisper.

She still looked sadly at the vampire, not truly wanting to answer.

"What he's good at." She answered in the same tone.

~~~!~~~


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Episode 5: **

**The Reckoning**

Damon and Elena were already back from their trip to the Windy City and from what Damon told K, it had been… interesting to say the least. They weren't any closer to bringing home Stefan and if anything, they were further from it. Klaus was cryptic and Elena was in danger. Some things never seem to change.

Ringing echoed in the silent bedroom.

"Yeah?" K sighed, rubbing the side of her head in an attempt to quell a nightmare related headache.

"_Well hello to you too grumpy."_

She stretched and groaned, hating that her body was stiff at the moment. Sometimes K wondered if her age wasn't catching up with her.

"What can I do for you Mr. Salvatore?"

"_You know, you might be the only one that doesn't sound instantly pissed I called you."_

K laughed.

"Yeah well, you haven't done anything to piss me off yet."

"_Touché." _

She could hear the smile in his voice.

"So what can I do for you?"

"_Elena and the rest of the mismatched misfits are doing some senior thing at the school."_

"Uh-huh…"

There was a pause.

"And?"

"_Really?"_

She smiled.

"If you want me to watch her, just say so."

He exaggerated a sigh, grumbling and groaning his irritation.

"_Fine._" He whined. _"Will you watch Elena for me and make sure she doesn't get hurt?"_

The victorious smile still remained on K's face. She loved making Damon say things that would ordinarily make him uncomfortable. She'd heard about the things that had happened from Bonnie, about Elena's necklace moving on its own and floating as though it were alive. And then there was always the threat of Klaus…

"Yeah, sure." She giggled. "Still worried about the funky jewelry?"

"_Amazingly enough, turns out necklaces aren't supposed to move on their own."_

"No." she mocked a gasp, her own word drenched in as much sarcasm a Damon's words.

Whether he meant to or not, Damon chuckled. She smiled and shook her head at the stupidity of everything.

"Yeah, I'll stop by." She said again. "Do my creepy 'looming in the shadows' thing that I'm good at."

"_If anyone's creepy, it's you."_

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Smartass."

The two said their farewells and hung up the phone. K tossed it back down onto her bed and made her way towards her bathroom to shower. As she turned on the hot water and waited for it to come to temperature, she had a horrible feeling rise in her gut. She didn't know why, but things felt different and she didn't like it.

She showered quickly and readied herself for the night. She wasn't going to slink around that night, and instead offer a hand, so to speak. She was planning on letting Bonnie and Elena know she's there and why not? There was no reason why she would really have to hang in the background. So, she was going to look nice, maybe flirt with the cute boys that were dangerously underage and maybe human and have her own fun.

K sat on the vanity in her bathroom putting on makeup as she drank from a blood bag. She knew if anyone came in to see something like it, they wouldn't know what to think. The thought made her laugh to herself as she chewed lazily on the IV tube she had put into the bag like a straw before sweeping on some mascara. With a few final movements, the rest of her daily chores done, her makeup on and her hair dried.

The vampire slid off the vanity and grabbed her jewelry to slip on. Her necklace, a trinket she had since the Renaissance it seemed and that kept her safe, the bracelet she had since who knew when (seriously she didn't remember, she'd just always had it) and the capture ring with a few pieces of a precious and deadly herb within. She didn't truly remember where it had come from either, only that she had it since her stint with the Mikaelson clan. Despite the disgusting feeling she got when she thought about it, the ring held purpose. After all, it was the first thing she found when she woke up.

There were few things in this world that followed her through the years, but those three were always with her. True she had bits of art, pictures of whatever else, but when you've spent the last few centuries alone, there's little you want to remind you of it. The pieces she did have reminded her of things, major events and so forth, not of people. She didn't have people. She never had people. The only people she did know were the Bennett witches and even then most of them didn't want anything to do with her unless they needed something or she knew they were in danger because she was a vampire. Other than that, nothing.

The stab of loneliness hit her square in the chest again as she grabbed her jacket and threw it on. She pushed it down as far as she could before heading out the door. Before she locked it, she was sure to sprinkle just a bit of the precious herb mix on the doorjamb to seal the line she had created on the other side. Now nothing could get in unless they knew it was there. Bonnie hadn't found anything so she was stuck with using something weaker like herbs and curios to keep out the boogeymen. Whatever. It worked.

K wove through the streets and lazily made her way to the school. She parked a distance away just because she didn't want any of those brats to screw with her car thinking it belonged to a teacher. She may have to break her 'no breathers' rule if they did. So with her baby safely hidden in the brush and off to the side, K sped the rest of the way silently.

She neared the building when she heard it. There were people talking, people she didn't recognize until she heard Stefan's voice. She froze instantly.

"_Where is Klaus now?"_ he asked.

"_With any luck, ripping that girl's bloody head off."_

Cold swept down her back when she heard fighting and then the sound of something running through someone else. She smelled blood, Stefan's blood, but he was breathing. Klaus wasn't going to kill him so the woman wasn't going to either, but K felt like she would retch. If she was right, she knew who the girl was and that didn't bode well.

Leaving Stefan to his own, K sped through the grounds, her ears trained for anything inside. She sifted through people talking, the sound of the plumbing kicking on and off, the furnace and so forth. She tried to find something useful, something that would actual help her know what in God's name was going on. And then it came.

They were in the gym and she heard his voice. At the sound of his accented words, K felt all of the air flee her lungs. Her knees shook and for a moment her whole world spun. She had to stop and take a breath. This was the voice from her nightmares, the taunting laugh and horrible sound of her tormentor. This was the one that haunted her even now. This was the one that threw her into her hell.

Slowly, K walked towards the gym. She could still hear everything being said within and felt her gut drop when Klaus murdered one of Elena's friends. He was still as horrible now all this time later. She was trying to find a way in, a back door or something so she would have the surprise she would need. K was terrified to enter, to see his face again, but she didn't have a choice. All the young vampire could do was try and steel her nerves before facing him. She had to make him think she was braver than she was and not give him the satisfaction of her fear.

In the far corner of the gym, she was standing outside of a back door. It led to the locker rooms away from the prying eyes of the people she wanted to avoid. It was going to give her the chance to get in without being seen. With a deep breath, she snapped the lock and slipped inside.

The voices were louder now. She could hear Klaus telling Stefan to obey. K wondered briefly how long she had been trying to gain the nerve to confront the hybrid. With a few more breaths, she popped open the door and slipped through without anyone noticing. The young woman flew easily under the bleachers and sat. She waited for a moment, moving to the far end of the bleachers, the end behind the dangerous being and daringly peeked around the corner. Elena saw her almost instantly. K quickly pressed her finger to her lips in order to keep the young woman silent and she nodded briefly.

Without warning, the gym doors swung open violently and a very angry blonde vampire came storming through them. K was right to fear the English female voice she'd heard from the parking lot.

"Where is it?!" she demanded. "Where's my necklace?"

"What _are_ you talking about?" Klaus asked, obviously annoyed.

"She has my necklace." Rebekah replied angrily, shoving the phone at her brother. "See."

He took the white object from the irate young woman at his side and enlarged the photograph he was presented with. He raised a brow.

"Well, well. More lies." He replied, eying Stefan for a moment.

"Where is it?" Rebekah repeated, her voice shaking with rage.

"I don't have it." Elena answered weakly.

""Liar!"

The blond lunged for the young woman and bit down into her neck before being violently ripped away from her. Attention shifted instantly to the two snarling vampires. Rebekah was gripped securely in someone's arms, the young woman from the shadows holding the Original tightly in a headlock, her eyes on Klaus.

The hybrid looked enraged at the young woman with his sister when recognition sank in. He sighed, shaking his head as he looked away. To the others' shock, a laugh left his lips before he met the bloodshot and angry eyes of the ebony haired vampire.

"Well, well, well." He sighed, the sarcastic smile still touching his lips. "Isn't this a surprise? It's Kalli now, isn't it? Or simply K?"

"Let go of me you disgusting…"

"Tell her to shut it before I rip her head off just because I can." K snarled.

The smile faded instantly and faster than the others could see, he moved. Klaus sailed towards the young woman and grabbed her throat, throwing her violently into the ground and forcing her to release Rebekah. Elena felt the wooden gym floor vibrate, heard the planks break beneath the strength of the hit and wondered briefly how many bones it broke within the vampire's body.

Klaus glared down at her, pinning her to the ground with a single hand to her throat, his legs on either side of her as he sat to ensure she couldn't escape. He squeezed until he felt the bones break in her neck and delighted in it.

"All these years, and still so defiant." He growled, leaning closer to the young woman. "Curious little thing you are."

"Let me…" she choked.

"Ah, ah, ah." He scolded lightly, tightening his grip further to keep her from speaking at all. "Not until you're spoken to, or have you forgotten who's in charge here?"

"Rip the bitch's throat out Nik." Rebekah spat venomously.

"Oh come now Rebekah," he chided halfheartedly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the little house girl we picked up in Thrace."

Rebekah glared at her brother before walking closer and eying the young woman in the divot of broken wood. K attempted to meet the blonde's eyes, but was having trouble focusing on anything too far away. She felt like her head would explode from his pressure.

When Rebekah stood over her brother's shoulder and looked down at the young woman on the ground, her eyes went wide. Rage took her delicate features again and she hissed.

"Kill her!" she screamed this time.

Klaus only laughed, tilting his head mockingly to the side as K still tried to pry his grip from her throat.

"It appears you do remember her." He smiled. "Now then, what to do, what to do?"

K could see a murderous glint in the hybrid's eyes and knew it had to be for her. She began to struggle harder then before to no avail. Klaus barely rocked from side to side from the action and his smile grew.

"Ever the feisty little thing aren't you?" he teased. "More than nine hundred years and still you need to be reminded who's in charge."

She glared at the vampire and moved. Her hand swept the area beside her and gripped a piece of broken wood. Before Klaus had realized it, she sank it deeply into his side. He cried out, relenting his grip on her throat enough for her to move out from beneath him. Blood poured from the wound as she raced twenty or more feet away and coughed heartily. Her neck was healing slowly as she knelt in her place, her eyes on both Original vampires.

Klaus's gaze turned to her as he grabbed the wood and ripped it from his ribcage. He tossed it to the side and stood.

"That's going to cost you _girl_." He growled in an animalistic tone. "You've forgotten your place."

"It's on any side against you." She answered.

He smiled sarcastically to her again.

"Cute."

Before she could blink, the hybrid launched himself towards her again and this time didn't hesitate. He gripped her head and snapped her neck with enough power to nearly rip it from her shoulders. K spun with the force before landing motionless on the ground. Elena looked horrified at the young woman she knew, her friend, Stefan the same when Klaus turned back to the doppelganger.

"Now then, the necklace." He said, walking towards Elena and kneeling to face her. She could see his anger and irritation as he looked at her. "Where is it sweetheart? And no lies."

"I'm telling the truth." She panted, her eyes watering slightly as she held her neck. "Katherine stole it."

Klaus sighed, dipping his head and wondering why he was cursed to know such troublesome young women.

"Well that's unfortunate, because it would make things so much easier for your witch friend, but now we have to do things the hard way. So," he chimed, standing and moving towards the score keeper's desk. "Let's put a clock on it shall we?"

They watched as he pressed the button. Fluorescent red numbers flashed on the scoreboard, a buzzer sounding loudly.

"Twenty minutes!" he called. Klaus turned his words to Stephan. "If your friend Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then I want you to feed, but this time I want you to feed on Elena." He smiled again as he looked at the young woman on the floor. "You know you want to."

"Klaus… don't do this to him." She begged.

"No one leaves." He said simply. He walked to K's side and gripped her ankle firmly. He began to drag her lifeless body without effort while Rebekah walked at his side. "If she tries to run," he told Stefan. "Fracture her spine."

Elena looked horrified to Stefan who could do little more than stare at her, stunned at what he had no choice but to do.

Klaus and Rebekah made their way down the halls, Klaus still irate with everything that had happened, even more so by the vampire he was holding tightly to.

"Let me kill her Nik, please." Rebekah all but begged.

"Enough Rebekah," he snapped, his annoyance evident. He stopped in his spot and turned to face her. "Go find Tyler and put him somewhere safe. Watch him until little Bonnie finds me my cure alright?"

"Fine." She hissed angrily, turning on her heel and storming down the halls.

Klaus stood there and watched as she walked off, sure she was far enough away before his attention shifted to the woman he held in his hands. He glanced down at her, his brow cocked. He released her leg and let it fall unceremoniously to the ground before clutching the shoulders of her jacket and shoving her against the lockers. He crouched down and stared at her, examining her dead face and marveling that it was actually the same person. It seemed unlikely and yet there she was.

He had little patience, even less when it came to the way things were going and didn't feel like waiting for her to wake on her own. He scooted closer and began tapping her cheeks. K didn't stir. He smacked her a few more times but she still didn't rouse, her head falling limply to the side. He growled his frustration. He didn't have time to wait for her to wake.

"Wake up girl." He snapped, backhanding her once more for good measure. He knew he didn't have to be gentle with her, not really. There was little that could actually hurt her kind and he didn't plan on causing any true harm, only getting the answers he wanted. "I've already lost my patience with you and your bloody games."

Like before there was nothing, but he could hear the bones in her neck mending. A smile crossed his lips. They were healing faster than normal which meant two things. One, he might get to have his little sit down with her sooner than he thought and two, she must have fed recently. The added blood always helped heal a vampire.

The hybrid sat back on his heels, his arms resting on his knees as he watched her. Sure enough, only seconds clicked by before she woke. K breathed deep, jolting awake from the forced death. She moved nervously for a moment, looking around to see where she was before her eyes fell to his. Fear saturated her and any bravery she once held was gone. He had already killed her once that night; she didn't want to think of how many more times he planned on doing it.

"Morning love." He smiled. "Now then, where were we?" he sighed, looking down for a moment as he pretended to think. When his eyes met hers again, pure anger shined through the blue orbs. "Ah yes, I remember."

Just as fast as before, he gripped her neck and slammed her head into the lockers behind her as a result. Slowly, Klaus began to stand, forcing K to do the same against her will as he kept her firmly pinned. She winced at each light tense of his steel like fingers until he stood upright, her toes barely touching the ground. While he held her securely, she could still easily breathe, his grip sure but not hindering.

"You know something darling; you can't imagine my surprise when I saw you in the woods with the others, standing against me." He said in a relatively even voice, the same unnerving smile touching his lips. "After all these years and you're still just a scared little girl aren't you?"

"Let me go." She growled despite the strained sound of her voice.

"Not a chance love. You were the one that burned down my house weren't you?" he asked, leaning in a bit further than before just to add to her discomfort. "I had a few things in there I rather liked, and you lit it on fire without a second thought, just to get away, hmm?"

She tried to shake her head, but his grip was firm. K had no idea what he was talking about. She didn't know his house burned and why would she? She wasn't there. Elijah had been the cause, using it to cover up what he'd really done with K.

"_Don't_ lie to me" he growled, jerking her head slightly when he stressed his words.

She winced, slamming her eyes shut and releasing a few tears before daringly looking back at the man holding her. His eyes moved languidly over her features with the same hungry look she had seen far too many times for her liking.

"Did you know that even after a turn, the blood coursing through a vampire's body tastes almost the exact same as when they were human? True it's a bit different, taking on what they eat and so forth, but after about a day of not eating, a vampire's blood invariably turns back to the way it once was." his eyes kept moving before finally settling on her. He could see the terror shining through her green orbs and it almost made him stop. Almost. "And if I remember correctly, yours was rather delectable."

She shuddered and closed her eyes again, refusing to look at the monster holding her. She tried to push passed it, to make herself think it wasn't real, that she wasn't reliving her nightmares, but his icy cold hands refused to let her. She heard him chuckle dryly to himself and still she wouldn't look. He moved, gently letting her stand but held her neck firmly. Still she didn't look. She felt him lean in, pressing her further into the thin metal as he pushed his chest against hers and dipped down to her ear. The tears were coming faster than before, but were held back by her lashes. Memories haunted her when her eyes were closed, but the real thing was standing right before her. K felt cursed no matter what she did when Klaus finally spoke.

"I'm curious sweetheart," he purred into her ear, delighting in the fear billowing from her. "Is it my blood that turned you?"

Whether she wanted to or not, K nodded. Klaus leaned back ever so slightly to see the action and smiled wider than before.

"Well then, doesn't that make things a bit more fun." He crooned. "Don't tell me you killed yourself just to be closer to little old me?"

The shaking instantly stopped and a hiss left her voice. Klaus pulled back enough to see her demonic eyes glaring angrily at him, her fangs showing just beneath her lips. He eyed her curiously. Apparently her death was a touchy subject.

"Elijah." She snarled.

He looked at her marginally surprised, something she hadn't expected, but she didn't care either. Now that the Original had died once, she remembered everything. She remembered him taking her aside. She remembered him snapping her neck before walking away as though it were nothing.

"That's interesting." He said simply.

He only stared at her angry features, marred by her vampire nature and still looking just like the little girl she used to be when he heard something in the distance. Someone was screaming loudly. He rolled his head to face her again.

"Well, it's seems I'm needed elsewhere at the moment." He told her as though she cared. "I'm going to leave you for now, but since I can't have you following me and getting in the way…"

A loud crack echoed through the hallways again and like before she fell to the ground, limp and seemingly dead for the time being. Klaus sighed. He looked sadly at the young woman he had no choice but to torture.

Without an audience, Klaus showed tenderness. He knelt beside her and gently threaded her hair behind her ear. He looked over her features and sighed heavily to himself. After a moment he lifted her gently into his arms and cradled her body to his. K wasn't the only one haunted with memories, he was simply better at keeping them under control.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

K awoke with a start like beings tended to when they were killed in the first place. She struggled to sit upright after being laid down. She didn't like the vulnerable position and scrambled to gain a more acceptable pose. When she had managed and looked around, she didn't recognize anything about where she was.

"Whoa, chill."

Her head snapped to Damon sitting on the couch across from her. Her brow pulled together in confusion, even more so when she noticed Elena sitting in the chair beside him looking at her. She cocked a brow, looking around for a moment instead of focusing on any one thing.

"I'm in your house?…" she muttered, taking in the deep woods and old antiques before looking at the two watching her.

"I knew you were smart." Damon replied sarcastically.

Both young women glared at him while he only mused over his remark and stood. He walked to the bar and grabbed another glass of liquor before handing it to K.

"Bourbon. Works wonders for a broom handle to the gut."

She nodded and took a drink. She relished in the familiar burn and welcomed it, leaning back into her seat and eying the hole in her shirt. K sighed and picked at it before shaking her head. She never remembered a broom handle, but the evidence was clear. What she didn't know was Klaus had told Rebekah not to kill K and to let her be. Apparently physical harm was the loophole Rebekah took full advantage of and didn't hesitate to plunge a broken broom handle straight through the young woman's gut.

"Awesome…" K mumbled before looking around again. "So… _why_ am I in your house?"

"Because you tried to kill Rebekah." Elena smiled weakly.

K scoffed a laugh and swallowed the rest of the brown liquid.

"Fat lot of good that did. Fairly certain Klaus tried to rip my head off my shoulders. Twice." She said, letting her head fall onto the back of the couch. "How did I get here?"

"Oh, I stole your car." Damon said a little too happily for K's liking . He seemed to enjoy the thought, but it didn't last long. When he spoke again, his voice was cold. "K, can I talk to you for a second?"

The vampire glanced up at Damon and didn't like the look in his eyes. She stared at him for a moment before nodding and standing. He led her out of the living room and into the kitchen. The moment they were out of Elena's line of sight, he grabbed her and threw her into the wall.

"I thought I told you to protect Elena, not let her donate half a dozen pints of blood." He hissed.

She glared at him and grabbed his hands, twisting and wrenching them from her collar before trading places. K didn't hesitate to slam him into the same wall she had previously been pinned to.

"First of all," she growled, staring up at the man. "Don't you _ever_ presume to put your hands on me like that again Salvatore. I am a hell of a lot older and stronger than you. Second, I did what I could. It's not my fault Klaus decided to spend most of the night breaking my neck to keep me from doing anything."

The two stared deeply at each other, both angry with the situation for different reasons before she let him go. She took a few steps back from the vampire and adjusted her clothing.

"Now, what happened?"

"Oh nothing much." He chimed sarcastically. "Klaus compelled Stefan to turn off his switch, Tyler's a hybrid and Elena's blood is the key. So now, we've got asshole Stefan hanging around because Klaus wants to protect his asset. Oh, and he skipped town."

K looked stunned by the man's nonchalant declaration.

"Okay… well… there's that for you."

He nodded annoyed, his hands on his hips as he tried to focus on anything that wasn't the situation. K struggled for a moment to wrap her mind around it, but quickly decided it was a problem she didn't feel like dealing with. She was tired, unnerved and didn't feel like being around people undead or otherwise.

"Well, I'm going to head home okay?" she said. Damon turned to face her. "Is Elena going to be okay with you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm going to take her home here in a minute."

"Don't worry about it, I'll take her."

He eyed her skeptically and she could tell it was either from her previous actions or because he didn't want to let Elena out of his sight.

"She'll be fine Damon, especially if Stefan tries anything." She reassured, turning and walking into the living room again. "Elena, are you ready to go home?"

"Yeah," she muttered defeated. "I'm pretty tired."

Damon took the blanket from her, still staring sadly at the young woman before he reached into his pockets and pulled out K's keys. He threw them to her and she caught them easily. With a final goodbye to him, the two young women walked out of the house and to her car. K knew where Elena lived so she didn't need directions, but it made for a quiet car ride, until Elena spoke.

"Kalli,"

The vampire perked slightly at the nickname that was less commonly used, though kept looking at the road.

"Can I ask you a question?"

K nodded, but had a feeling she already knew what it was going to be.

"In the gym…"

Yup, she was right.

"When Klaus had you…" Elena hesitated.

"Pinned by my throat to the ground?" K finished. "You can say it."

"Yeah, that." She muttered. "What he was saying, about you being a house girl and that stuff about who's in charge… what did he mean?"

K didn't speak for a moment, her eyes trained intently on the road ahead despite them not needing to be. She thought about how to phrase what she was going to say. She even wondered whether or not she should say anything at all but figured after everything, Elena might deserve to know. After the hell Klaus had put the human through, K reasoned she might feel better knowing he'd done worse to others.

"When I was a child, I was sold to Niklaus." She finally said, and she got the reaction she knew would come.

"Oh my god." Elena gasped in disgust. "Sold but… why?"

"It was a different time back then. Children and young women were sold all the time for… various reasons."

Elena still held the revulsion in her face as she replayed what Klaus had said.

"Over nine hundred years ago…" she repeated, her eyes focusing on K as the vampire turned towards her neighborhood. "You were born in the eleven hundreds?"

"No." she answered softly.

Elena narrowed her eyes.

"Earlier?"

Then K did something Elena hadn't truly expected. She nodded. The sheer time that had passed from then until now seemed unimaginable to the young woman. She knew how old Damon and Stefan were, she knew how old Katherine was too and the Originals, but it seemed unfathomable that she knew someone- well- that was so old. Then her mind came back to her, pressing her to find out more. Her morbid curiosity wanted to know exactly how K knew Klaus and Rebekah.

"But still," she continued. "Your parents just sold you to a vampire?"

K shook her head.

"No." she answered sadly. "I never knew my parents. My mom got pregnant and ran away. Some people found her giving birth in their horse stable. She didn't make it." Elena felt her heart drop at the thought of K never knowing her parents. "The people who found her took me in. They didn't really know anything about her to tell me obviously, but they said she had a brand on her arm." K pointed to her forearm. "Which meant she was a slave. It wasn't all that uncommon back then for the female slaves to become _mysteriously pregnant_ so it could've either been her owner or it could've been another slave. I have no idea. Since they knew I wasn't going to be missed they took me in. They tried to raise me like one of their own, but their other children hated me. Can't really blame them I guess. I lived with them for a while, but the war eventually made it to the coast where we lived. I escaped in the mayhem, but I didn't get too far before some looters found me and sold me to a slave trader. After that I was taken to the capital to be sold off. When I tried to run, I ran into someone else. Literally."

She paused, looking down for a moment as though she was remembering the day vividly. In truth she was. It was the first time in centuries she was allowed to.

"Klaus…" Elena whispered.

K nodded.

"Yeah. He'd stepped in the way to stop me. Apparently he thought it was funny so he bought me on the spot. After that, I worked in his house as a servant."

Elena felt her brow crease as she looked at the young woman sitting beside her. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around what she was hearing, but K looked so sincere she didn't doubt the vampire's word.

"How old were you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

K looked down again, wringing her hands on the steering wheel.

"Eleven." She answered sadly.

Elena gasped at the young age, nothing near what she had thought. If anything she would have assumed a few years older, not so young. K wasn't even a teenager when Klaus had gotten a hold of her.

"How long did you live with him?" she asked. Elena wasn't sure she wanted to hear anymore, but she couldn't stop asking questions. Her morbid fascination with someone who'd known Klaus and his family for so long was overwhelming.

"About eight years, give or take." She said, turning to look at Elena that time. "Until I died."

She looked aghast at the vampire beside her, but her disbelief was starting to sink in too.

"Wait, eight years? No offense, but Klaus doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would keep someone around for that long." She said.

K only shrugged. Her face was devoid of any real emotion. After all, it wasn't a happy story she was telling.

"I have no idea to be honest with you. Amazingly enough, he wasn't even the one that killed me." She let a weak, breathy laugh leave her lips at the thought.

"What?" Elena asked shocked, seeing first hand how Klaus felt about the young woman. "He didn't have a problem killing you tonight."

"I know." She nodded her agreement.

"Then how'd you die?" she asked quickly before realizing how rude the question. "I'm sorry I didn't mean…"

K only smiled kindly to her making Elena feel a bit better. She understood Elena's curiosity, she didn't like it, but she understood it. After all, that was the first time K had said it out loud. Elijah had compelled her to forget every event that included him or his family, so until recently not even K knew exactly what happened to her. Part of her thought retelling the story would be therapeutic, that maybe it would help her move passed it.

"It's okay." She said, her smile turning weak. "Elijah killed me."

Suddenly everything seemed to make sense. Elena remembered Elijah and K fighting before calming down, the screaming in a foreign language that suddenly made sense, and them not trusting one another.

"We're here."

Elena had been so deep in thought and enthralled by their conversation that she hadn't noticed K had stopped in front of her house.

"Oh…" she muttered, gathering her things. "Thanks."

"No problem." She smiled, watching as Elena got out of the car and walked up to her porch.

K didn't leave until Elena was inside though part of her wondered if it even mattered. Half of the vampires she had to hide from were already invited into her home so it wasn't as safe as one would think it to be. Reluctantly, K made her way back home and wanted nothing more than to take another shower and go to bed.

~~~!~~~

**I swear I had this as a storyline before Marcel in the Originals. lol. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Homecoming**

Elena answered the door letting K walk right in while the others stood in the living room. The air was thick and she didn't like it. She knew what they were going to have to do and she wasn't looking forward to it, but she wanted nothing more then to see Klaus dead. If making a deal with his big bad daddy was the only way to do it, then oh well.

"What is _she_ doing here?"

K turned and saw Rebekah standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared angrily at the young woman.

"I could say the same for you. It seems your brother's affection for you only goes so far."

"Bite your tongue you slag." She spat before suddenly lunging for K.

The blond gripped the other vampire's throat, but K was more than willing to fight. The two struggled to keep their grips on the other. Though Rebekah was easily strong enough to do so, K knew how to fight, always learning when she was 'growing up' while Rebekah focused more on being pretty. She was wily to say the least, managing to slip out of the Original's grip or alter it enough to get her own.

The two launched themselves through the house, slamming into walls, furniture and the floor with such force, the ones watching wondered if there was going to be a house left. Everything finally came to an abrupt halt when Rebekah pinned K to the floor, her knees firmly on either side of the vampire's waist, her hand at K's throat ensuring she wouldn't move. Rebekah hissed angrily, both vampires' fangs bore hatefully.

"Nik may not have the will to kill you, but I do."

"Then do it." K hissed in return. "Better than being haunted by you and your _horrible_ family."

"I'll rip every last limb from your body you selfish pig!"

Rebekah brought her fist back over her head, ready to bring it down and through K's chest when arms wrapped around her and pulled her away. She spat angrily, kicking and trying to get free while K sprang to her feet.

"Cut it out." Damon snapped. "Or we'll vervain you."

Rebekah calmed but only marginally. It was obvious she was still enraged at just being in the same room as K. The feeling was mutual.

"Seriously," he sighed, the young Original snatching her arms away from the two brothers. "What is with you two?"

"Ask her." Rebekah hissed.

"I know exactly why I hate you, still unclear as to why you hate me though." K replied defiantly, not willing to back down from the brat.

"Really?" Rebekah scoffed. "You honestly have to guess?"

"You tried to feed from me." K snapped. "Niklaus told me to fight back. I have no idea why you're still so bitter about it. I on the other hand, have every right to hate the tart that tried to kill me."

"Tart?!" she yelled stunned. She moved to lunge again, but Damon and Stefan both took an arm. The two much younger vampires struggled to hold her back. She seemed to realize it and stopped, snatching her limbs back again. "I'll _never_ understand his infatuation with you. You should have been nothing more than a blood sack and yet he doted on you."

She spat her words with such disgust, the ones watching were slightly curious to see if she would literally spit on K.

"Doted on me?" she snapped back. "_Doted _on me?! That monster ripped my throat out daily and forced his blood down my throat so he would have a snack whenever it suited him. The kindest thing that beast ever did was lock me away in that disgusting cell. At least then I didn't have to be around him."

Rebekah stood for a moment, ready to spout off what she wanted to, but stopped quickly. Her eyes narrowed skeptically on the young woman as she took a slow step forward. The others watched, Damon and Stefan both wondering if they would have to stop her again when Rebekah laughed. They shot her curious glances, the same confusion touching K's face. Rebekah didn't seem to notice them as she laughed disbelievingly for a moment before turning her back on the vampire.

"I can't believe it." She seemed to mull over her own private joke before looking back to K. She only shook her head and stared at her as though she were some pathetic little creature. "Nik and his tricks."

And with that cryptic bit of information, she turned and left them to their business. The room was silent for a moment, no one sure what to even say. They looked to K for help, but she was just as lost as they were. After a moment, she seemed to regain her composure and spoke.

"So, plan?" she asked, acting as though nothing with Rebekah had happened.

~~~!~~

The Homecoming dance was canceled.

K was sure it had something to do with Klaus when the dance was canceled for some unknown reason. She, along with the others, made her way to the Lockwood home for the backup party. Everything felt wrong. Just… wrong. Damon and K had broken off to make their way through the crowd of people. Klaus was there, of course, making his grand entrance and so forth. The man was one for show and it made K sick.

He stood on the stage speaking to the crowd and it took all she had just to keep her bloody lunch down. He acted so entitled, so high and mighty and she just wanted it to be over. The hybrid thought that because he was what he was, he should have any and everything without regard to anyone and she didn't like it. He was nothing more than a monster, cruel, mean and horribly brutal in every way. He had caused her pain for a decade, given her nightmares to last the centuries and she wanted it to end. It almost made her glad the others had made a deal with Mikael to kill him.

She glared her hatred at the creature on stage as he smiled to the people, praying internally that he could feel it, but he never let on. Relenting that he would go on without seeing her and thankful for it, K made her way into the rest of the well dressed crowd. Her job was simple, to watch and protect those she knew and nothing more. So she would, as though she didn't feel eyes on her everywhere she walked. There was no telling who Klaus had stocked in the crowd to spy on everything being done.

The night went on as it was supposed to, the complex plan being laid into place and so forth. Klaus had made his way through all of the friends, threatening them when needed and ensuring they wouldn't interfere with everything he had set into motion. He had spoken to everyone there, save one. A smile crossed his lips as he walked through the crowd unnoticed and made his way towards the one that had been trying so fruitlessly to ignore him.

K turned; ready to join Elena's side when she was suddenly confronted with Klaus. She gasped from his proximity, jumping slightly whether she meant to or not. His cocky grin grew into a smirk.

"Somebody's awfully jumpy." He taunted quietly.

"Leave me be Niklaus." She asserted in a shaky voice.

"Oh come now, not still sore about my beating you last time are you? It's not as though it was permanent, little more than a sore throat in the end."

She glared, moving to walk around him only to have him appear in her path again.

"Tell me something Kalli, why is it you follow these humans around hm?" he asked simply, genuinely curious. "You're nothing more than a glorified guard dog by the looks of it, hovering around them to ensure their safety." He smiled when she looked at him with pure hatred. "You owe them nothing and yet here you are. Why is that?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you." She growled with more determination than before.

"That may be the one thing I always admired about you," he sighed, his eyes moving over her making her cringe internally. "Your fathomless loyalty. Remarkable and such a rare trait in a human to begin with. Then again, maybe it was because I helped raise you."

He was taunting her and she could see it. Her fear turned to rage as she swung at him. Despite her immense speed, he was faster. Klaus grabbed her wrist and spun her around, slamming her back into his chest before wrapping his arms around her and securing her in place. Panic began to course through the young woman at the thought of what might happen next, no one nearby even glancing at the two. They were suddenly invisible.

"Now that's not nice." He muttered sternly into her hair. She shuddered from the closeness, wanting nothing more than to go home and douse herself in gasoline just to burn off his touch. "Here I am attempting a civil conversation with you and you just act nasty. Apparently time hasn't improved your manners."

"You've never been _civil_ Niklaus. You're a monster and I will gladly dance on your grave when you're dead."

He flinched slightly at her cold words, hearing her loathing stain every syllable from an otherwise beautiful young woman. Slowly his grip loosened and she took advantage, twisting out of his arms and looking at the hybrid. She still stared at him, fighting her own anger.

"What have I done to you to make you so angry?" he asked genuinely.

Her brows pulled together tightly in shock. K could feel her mouth go slack as a scoff left her lips. She shook her head in disbelief.

"What have you done to me?" she repeated in the same tone. "You tortured me." Her voice began to waver slightly, her eyes turning pink and glossy. "You hunted me for sport. You took everything from me, my life… my innocence. You delighted in my agony and then forced your vile blood down my throat so you could do it all again."

Her voice had turned to barely more than a whisper some time ago, the young woman almost choking on her words. Klaus stood silently, staring at her blankly while she spoke. He let on nothing to what he was thinking and it was more infuriating than anything else.

"There are a great many things you don't seem remember." He told her evenly.

"I remember _everything_." She hissed, advancing on him slightly.

"You remember what you were told."

She looked at the hybrid appalled, the expression written across her features. She blinked the lingering tears free and he watched, still emotionless as they slid uninhibited down her cheeks.

"Are you telling me there are more things of my own life that _I_ don't know?"

She couldn't believe it. They had taken everything from her, everything she had his family had stolen and now he was telling her there was even more. What else could there be? What else could they have possibly taken from her?

"A great deal more." He answered stoically.

"How? Shouldn't the memories come back by now?"

K was smart enough to know that compulsions faded four ways in total. There was the first and easiest, that the one who did it removed the compulsion. The second and third were one of the party had to die, either the one who compelled or the one who was. The fourth and the one she'd only heard rumors about was a witch could remove the compulsion. That one K found unlikely. Despite the strength of a witch, the power it would take to manipulate someone's mind seemed too out of reach.

"Trust me, it took a great deal of maneuvering, but I assure you, there is more." He told her emotionlessly. "My dear brother didn't trust me to keep your memories hidden, so we recruited a very powerful witch. Tricky thing, locking away someone's thoughts." K looked broken, thoroughly and completely. "You always need to have a loophole. There is only _one_ way for you to get them back."

"Why?" she begged. "Why do you have to steal everything from me?"

He didn't answer for a moment. He simply stared at her as she pleaded with him.

"Give them back." She finally said. "Give me back every memory you've taken."

His brow creased briefly before everything went blank again. He was dangerously close to showing emotion and he wasn't going to allow that to happen.

"Now's not the time pet." He replied. "You'll get them back soon enough, but not right now."

"It's not your decision." She growled.

A smug grin touched his lips.

"It appears it is." He told her simply before glancing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've more pressing matters to tend with."

She stood astonished as he walked off without so much as a second glance. She couldn't believe it. He had openly admitted to blacking out some of her memories and refused to give them back. They weren't his. Why would he want them? Why would he take time, possibly years, from her past and not want her to have them? They meant nothing to the hybrid, but he refused to give them back out of spite. It had to be. There was nothing beneficial to it.

She blinked the tears out of her eyes, wiped her cheeks and tried to compose herself before going back to the party. There were things that had to be done and her pitying herself wasn't going to help anyone.

~!~

Yet again, things didn't go according to plan. Damon didn't hit Klaus's heart when he stabbed him. Stefan interfered and Mikael was the one that suffered for it. The Original, father to them all quite literally, burned to ash along with the white oak stake. Now there was nothing. There was no weapon. There was no Mikael. There was only Klaus and his hybrid monsters.

K stood staring at the hybrid in the doorway. He moved to face her completely, his features blank. Their eyes locked and she felt everything swell within her again, the anger, anguish and so forth grow to the point it was making her ill. Without a word, she ran off into the distance, just to put space between her and the monster at the Lockwood home.

~~~!~~~


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Season 3 Ep. 10: The New Deal

K felt god awful. She had tried to sleep for hours, but barely managed a couple the whole night and those she did manage were filled with Klaus. They were so vivid and real that she woke up screaming at one point. It was a particularly nasty one where he was ripping into her throat and draining her completely until she passed out, violently throwing her about and such before feeding her his blood and healing her only to do it again. She wished they were nothing more than dreams, but she was fairly certain they were more memories that had come to surface when Elijah was daggered. Only problem was he didn't have the good sense to stay alive so they'd never come back.

She had drunk everything in her apartment and was left with nothing. She had no booze. She had no blood and she had no patience for it either. Grabbing her keys, she made her way over to the Salvatore home for a little of both, maybe a lot. She hadn't decided.

With Stefan gone and Damon most likely out babysitting Elena or whatever, she could slip in and steal some. Maybe they notice, maybe they don't. Again, she didn't care.

That's not what happened though.

She walked through the front door without knocking, again expecting the house to be empty, only to hear voices in the living room. Damon was talking to someone and she should have had the good sense to leave, but she didn't. K wasn't exactly in her best frame of mind at that moment and walked into the living room regardless to see who was there. She wished to hell she hadn't.

"Well then, look at what the cat dragged in." Klaus sneered.

K froze for a moment, uncertain of what to do, but eyed the liquor in his hands. She was a little drunk, more than a vampire usually should be but much more than a human could handle. The problem was, it made her talk without a second thought.

"You tormented my life, my after life and plague my dreams." She said with a cocked brow. "Is there nothing you haven't _infected_?"

"Dreaming about me already love?" he smiled, taking a sip of his bourbon. "Well I do think I'm flattered."

"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you. They weren't pleasant."

"Ah, well perhaps there's time for that yet."

"Oh I think I'm going to be sick." Damon gagged, pouring himself another drink.

Klaus only chuckled to himself and set his glass down on the end table nearest him before walking towards K.

"Until next time my dear." He smiled, his hand coming out and gently brushing her cheek.

K cringed at the contact, shifting enough to force his hand to leave her skin before he made it to her jaw line. He only smiled to her and chuckled again. K looked back to him and hissed from deep within her throat.

"Ah, there's that spirit I admire so." He mused. "How I've missed it."

She narrowed her eyes on the vampire hybrid.

"I'd rather have sex with Damon than have you touch me again." She growled.

"I'm game." Damon chimed from his spot deeper in the room.

Klaus's features turned dark as he looked at her. She hesitated slightly. The hybrid turned and gave Damon the same curiously stern look before his eyes fell on the female vampire again.

"It's not wise to mock me." He said sharply.

Damon and K both stared confused at the man as he said nothing else and walked out of the house completely. When they were sure he was gone, K looked at Damon, the man sharing her expression. If they hadn't known better, Klaus looked a little jealous. Or, if anything, angered by her suggestion.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked.

"Search me." She shrugged, walking forward and leaning slightly when she had.

Damon noticed the action and smelled the whiskey coming from her. He smiled crookedly.

"You're drunk."

"Not drunk enough." She replied simply. "I've come for refreshments. I'm out."

"So go buy some."

She glared at the indignant vampire.

"I've had a hard night Damon, don't tempt me to kill you."

"Yeah well, join the club. We've all had some pretty shitty weeks lately."

"Oh really? Last night that bastard told me he made me forget part of my life and won't stop taunting me about it. He refuses to give the damn memories back. I think that merits a drink yeah?"

"Fine." He sighed, pouring her a large glass of scotch. He didn't think her reason was that great, but he did pity her after Elena told him about her conversation with K the night the vampire drove her home. In his mind, _that_ merited the free booze. "For now."

She nodded her thanks and threw her head back, swallowing the liquid quickly and in one gulp. She sighed and set down the glass.

"Thanks." She muttered.

"No problem." He replied in the same tone. "So, how about that sex?"

She looked up at him and saw the teasing smile. K couldn't fight the laugh and felt better for it, Damon sharing in the action.

Everyone had so much on their plates; so much no one knew exactly what everyone else had to do. K had taken herself away from the whole thing. She couldn't be involved because everything circled around Klaus. No matter where she went, he was there. Always there…

When K left Damon's house, drinking a surprising amount of alcohol and blood in the process, she made her way straight home. She collapsed on her bed the moment she made sure her tricks were laid in place and found herself staring at the ceiling to try and organize her frantic thoughts.

Bonnie was still recuperating from not only trying to kill Klaus, but everything else she asked the witches to do for her. Evidently they weren't too happy with the young Bennett for it. Alaric was back to taking care of the Gilbert children. Tyler was a hybrid. Elena was the key to Klaus making more of his minions. And, to top everything off, Stephan had stolen the angry, truly immortal, creature's family.

K groaned and planted the heels of her palms into her eyes, rubbing them repeatedly as though it would ebb the headache only Mystic Falls could give. It didn't. Things were going to get so much worse before they got even remotely better.

~~~!~~~

When Bonnie had severed her blood bond, K was no longer privy to the witches speaking from beyond the grave. They could contact the vampire, but it was more difficult and that worried the young woman more than she thought. Without the Bennett ancestors keeping her informed, K had no idea Bonnie was aiding Stefan in his attempts to keep Klaus's family. She didn't know Klaus had tried to kill Jeremy and got Alaric instead and she didn't know Tyler had bitten Caroline.

Being so deep in her own hell, K didn't know anything that was happening around her and she was suffering for it until she was thrown directly into it again. In her weak attempts to stay safe inside her apartment, hoping the situation would pass without needing her involvement, everything had gone to hell.

"You know something," Klaus sighed, standing no more than ten feet away, his hands in his pockets as he leisurely walked closer. "I'm getting awfully tired of explaining to you people that I want my family back. It's getting repetitive to say the least."

"Then maybe you should just back off." Damon snapped.

"You see, I don't think so."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. From the shadows more than a dozen hybrids emerged. Damon, Elena and K looked around at the beings surrounding them. Fear swelled within all of them at the horrible scene. Klaus only smiled.

"Now surely Stefan cares about at least one of you. Will it be the friend from a lifetime ago? Perhaps the love of his life will be the one? Then there's always the bond of brotherhood that could be the victor." He taunted. "Anyone's guess."

"Stop it." Elena called loudly. "He doesn't care about any of us, you know that."

"You see, I don't believe that. I know he cares about at least one of you. The question is which one. To be honest I don't much care, so long as I have all three of you."

"Oh yeah?" Damon asked, eying the hybrids surrounding them. "Well what happens when one of your pets gets jumpy? They kill one of us and there goes your deal."

"They won't do anything unless I tell them otherwise."

K just kept her eyes trained dangerously on Klaus. She felt something in the back of her head scream she needed to test that theory. She wanted to know just how loyal these creatures were. Besides, out of all of them, she was the least likely for Stefan to come for. Sure they might have been friends, but that was nothing compared to how much he loved both Elena and Damon. In her mind, she was expendable in this situation and if she could take out some hybrids, get to Klaus or keep the others safe, it'd be a _winning_ situation.

Without warning, K moved. The others hadn't seen it until she pulled her arm out from within a hybrid's chest and dropped his heart on the ground. Klaus looked stunned by what she had done, not expecting the action. Her stoic face stayed glued to his as she walked forward. Sensing the danger encroaching on their creator, the other hybrids mobilized on the young woman. Good.

They sprang into action, but she was older, faster and stronger than them. She fought, ripping arms and limbs from the beings that attacked to the shock and horror of those watching.

"Take Elena and run!" She yelled at Damon.

Before the young woman could object, Damon grabbed Elena and did as K commanded. Klaus growled angrily as the two sped off into the distance and even more so by the fighting and death that was happening.

"Enough!" he bellowed.

The remaining hybrids, fewer than he had expected, walked angrily away from the vampire. She was breathing heavy, blood saturating her arms and dripping from her fingertips into small puddles on the concrete. Slowly her eyes turned back to Klaus, the hybrid enraged by what she had done. She just glared at him with her own bloodshot, demonic orbs, barely resembling the young woman she used to be.

"Why would you do this?" he asked with a tight jaw.

"What can I say?" she shrugged sarcastically. "I'm a loyal lap dog."

With a final glance to the hybrid, she turned her back and walked away from him. He was flustered, still seething about what had happened, the ground littered with body parts and torsos of his fallen pack.

"Don't turn your back on me girl!" He yelled angrily.

He saw her jump slightly, but did nothing to turn around. As though sensing that was what his master wanted, one of the hybrids grabbed the young vampire. She turned and violently ripped his head from his shoulders. Another attacked for his fallen comrade and before she could turn, on instinct sank his teeth into her neck. K screamed out from the action, the poison instantly seeping into her body. Klaus felt his insides lurch the moment he saw the teeth slice her flesh.

K reached for the animal and flung him off of her. She knew she didn't have a chance to fight off more of them and she didn't want to. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Holding her bleeding neck, K raced off into the darkness before the hybrids could follow her.

Klaus stood for a moment, his eyes on the horizon where the vampire had disappeared. He walked forward, unable to focus on much of anything around him. He didn't care about the bodies, about the blood that stained the streets. He didn't care about any of it until he came up along the side of the hybrid that had bitten K. He looked at the man with anger in his eyes. Before the hybrid could defend himself, Klaus tore his heart from his chest. The others jumped at the display as the body crumbled to the ground. Klaus cocked an uncaring brow before dropping the heart.

"The next of you who attack without my permission will share his fate." He said in a calm voice. "Now clean up this mess before someone sees it."

His minions went about the work their terrifying sire wanted as he disappeared into the same black night as K.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Elena called K's phone for the third time and still there was no answer. Damon had whisked her out of there so quickly she hadn't had time to tell him no. Part of her wondered if that hadn't been the plan to begin with, that K be the distraction. She seemed to have a death wish now that Klaus had begun taunting her.

As she hung up the phone and attempted to dial the number again, the front door to the Salvatore home burst open. Damon moved first knowing Klaus was capable of walking into the house. He was shocked to see K stumbling into the entryway, falling with a roll from the speed she had entered.

"Jesus." He sighed, rushing forward and seeing the blood saturate most of her wardrobe. "Couldn't help but make a mess could you?"

"Yeah well, why disappoint hm?" she teased as Damon helped her stand.

He shook his head at her as she stood under her own strength, but she felt it wane almost instantly. Her eyes began to roll back into her head and she collapsed again. Damon swooped down and caught her.

"What happened?" Elena asked, coming into the hallway.

"I don't know. She just…" Damon paused when he noticed a chunk of flesh missing from her neck. "Shit."

"What? What's going on?"

"She's been bit." He replied, scowling at the hole. "And they weren't messing around either."

"Oh my god." She gasped, her hands coming to her mouth.

Damon simply lifted K up and headed upstairs, Elena behind him. He found a spare bedroom, one of the many the house had, and laid her in the bed. She was breathing heavily, but it looked like she was fighting too. Elena felt her lunch turn at the sight of the gaping hole in K's neck.

"K," Damon muttered, adjusting her so she could look at him. "Hey Kali."

She groaned before slowly lifting heavy lids. She was already starting to turn pale and he knew she had maybe the night and part of the following day before she would die from the poison. A bite that big made it impossible to avoid for long.

"I had this great dream and then some jackass vampire ruined it." She sighed, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

She looked up to see a weak one on Damon and Elena's face too.

"Good to see you listened to me this time."

"Yeah well it's bound to happen at some point right?" he asked sarcastically.

K scoffed, pushing herself up a bit higher on the pillows. She winced immediately at the throbbing fire coursing through her body. It was amazing that a body could throb without a heartbeat but there you go.

"Couldn't help it could you?" he sighed annoyed.

She shrugged as best she could, biting back the pain it caused in her shoulder.

"What can I say? I like danger."

"Watch her." Damon told Elena simply. "I'm going to see if I still have that blood around here somewhere."

"Wait, won't Klaus just heal her?"

Damon ushered her to the side.

"You really think he's going to offer up his blood for the vampire that just slaughtered a handful of his hybrids? I doubt it."

"Still, doesn't he have a history with her? Maybe he'll still do it."

"Something tells me he's not very nostalgic for someone he fed on back in the day." He snapped under his breath. "Just watch her."

He stormed off, pissed about the situation while Elena slowly walked back to K's side and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You two didn't expect that conversation to be private right? Cause you know I can still hear you."

"He's just worried about you after you saved us like that." She explained.

K rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't matter if he finds the blood or not, I'm not drinking it."

Elena didn't bother hiding her surprise.

"Why?"

"Elena, I think it's about time I call it quits."

"But… just like that?"

K shrugged again, the indifference touching her features.

"I'm just tired." She sighed. "I'm tired of this endless life, of waking up day after day to the same old thing. I'm so sick of skipping through decades with nothing to show for it. I'm just exhausted of it all."

"But you have friends here. What's Bonnie going to do?"

A weak smile touched the vampire's face.

"She'll be fine. She's never really gotten over the whole vampire thing anyway."

"That's not true." Elena sighed, trying to make K understand. "All of us are your friends."

K felt herself shaking her head whether she meant to or not.

"You'll be fine without me. I'm not even really part of your group, just someone that came in later on with something helpful." She replied. "I'm just ready for this lifelong nightmare to be over with."

"But Kali,"

Elena sounded exasperated, like she wanted to try and impress on K why she shouldn't give up on everything when the air in the room shifted. She turned, expecting Damon only to see Klaus standing in the doorway, his cruel eyes dead set on K. He took a few steps into the room, clearing the doorway, but still never looking away from the one that had killed so many of his soldiers.

"Get out." He said finally.

Elena's brows pulled together in confusion. When she didn't move, Klaus's eyes shifted to her, his face still unreadable.

"Get out, or I'll throw you out."

Elena reluctantly began to stand. She didn't know what he wanted, but she had a fair idea.

"No." she said firmly. "You're not going to hurt her."

"Your sentiment is endearing, really it is," he replied sarcastically as he approached. "But get the hell out of this room or, doppelganger or not, I swear I will toss you out that window."

She wavered uncertainly.

"Elena, its fine." K sighed. Her friend shot around, disbelief written across her face. "What's he going to do, kill me?"

"But…"

"The hell's going on?" Damon asked, appearing in the doorway.

Klaus sighed, his irritation growing.

"There are two more bodies in this room than I would like, now if you don't mind." He said.

"My house." Damon said firmly.

Klaus turned and glared at the vampire.

"Guys, just give us a minute," K sighed, her own annoyance coming through. "Again, he can only kill me."

"Seriously?" Damon snapped.

"Yeah, seriously. Or," she attempted to get up and wavered instantly. It took her a moment to regain her bearings, but she did eventually. "I'll just go home."

No one moved for a second or two, nobody believing she would really do it, but she kept walking towards the door. Damon growled under his breath.

"Fine." He grumbled.

Something told him Elena wouldn't leave on her own so he grabbed her arm and lightly pulled her towards the door. She followed whether she wanted to or not. K made her way back to the bed and fell onto it, tired and thoroughly worn from nothing more than half a dozen steps. She could tell the poison was working fast, faster than normal most likely, and she relished in it. K couldn't fight the mild euphoria being on her death bed brought out. Her nightmare would finally end.

She took a few steadying breaths before turning her attention to Klaus. The moment her gaze fell to him, his expression softened. She narrowed her eyes. She didn't like him looking at her like that. It bothered her. Still silent, he walked slowly towards her bed, both of them staring at the other and oblivious to the two listening just outside the door.

When he reached the side of the bed he stopped. The two remained that way for a moment, seemingly frozen before his eyes darted to her wound. He saw the giant mouth sized hole that had been ripped from her throat, the edges already turning necrotic and rotting away from the toxins. His brows creased at the sight before his eyes met hers again.

"How could you let something like this happen?" he asked.

She cocked a brow to the hybrid. Nearing death, K was free for the first time in centuries. She no longer had to worry about the repercussions of angering anyone, let alone Klaus. Like she told Damon and Elena, there was nothing he could do to her any longer. He couldn't hurt her, he couldn't torture her. He could only sit back and let her release every bit of resentment and anger she ever felt for him.

"Me? You're the one who couldn't keep his dogs on their leashes."

"You attacked first." He replied, his voice a bit harder than before.

"You brought them out of hiding." She shot back.

"They weren't going to attack."

"You said they would if Stefan didn't give you the coffins." She growled, their irritation with the other growing. "Where in that would _anyone_ get that the situation was safe?"

"How are you still this infuriating?"

She openly rolled her eyes at the hybrid.

"Why are you here?" she demanded weakly, not in the mood for him or his games.

Klaus took a breath and seemed to calm for the moment.

"I'm here to fix that." He answered, motioning to the injury she had sustained.

K looked stunned by his words, the ones in the hallway unable to keep it from their own faces.

"What?" she asked as though he had spoken some random language.

"If you're going to die, I'd rather it be something more worthy of my progeny."

She scoffed at the words that were somehow meant to comfort her or make her agree. Klaus walked forward and bit into his flesh as though the issue was settled. He sat on the bed next to her and offered her his wrist.

"Here." He told her calmly.

She shook her head and moved away.

"I'm not drinking that." She said simply.

He rose a brow to her.

"Beg pardon."

"I don't want your blood."

"This will save your life." He said. He couldn't understand why she wasn't readily agreeing to his offer like any sane person would.

"I've had more than enough of that shoved down my throat for a thousand lifetimes and I'm not going to add to it." She snapped prideful.

He couldn't understand her supposed logic. She was being difficult on purpose and what's more, she'd rather die than just drink his blood.

"You stubborn woman." He snapped loudly. "Do you wish to die?"

"I would rather die then owe you my life again." She spat venomously.

He stared at her in slight awe. He had stood abruptly at some point during their short spat and couldn't look away from her. His mind was completely boggled by her disregard for personal health.

"Do you really hate me so much?" he asked in a frustrated tone.

"You do nothing but mock me at every turn." She defended loudly. "You taunt my fears and my agony. So why, _why_ should I be so ready to drink your blood? Why should I want to keep living in a world where something like _you_ is even still alive?"

"_Is that what you want, to know what I've kept from you?"_ he asked in her native tongue. _"Do you want to know the real truth?"_

Kalli bristled when she heard him speak her own Greco/Roman Latin back at her, the odd mixture of the empires that tried to dominate her country throughout history. She never liked it when he did that, thinking it some kind of trick to get a woman to do whatever he wanted. And it was in some regards. Klaus had used the technique plenty of times to get what he wanted from someone, giving them either a sense of camaraderie or lulling them into a sense of calm. She wasn't fooled.

"Don't." she chastised. "Don't you dare Niklaus."

"Fine." He growled through clenched teeth. He was trying to remain calm, but he took personal offense to Kali's willingness to die when her salvation was being so freely offered. "If you won't take it willingly, I'll force it down your throat since you insist."

Klaus bit down angrily on his wrist and flew to her side. K struggled to keep him off of her, shoving weakly at his chest as he pressed his bleeding wound to her mouth. Whether she wanted to or not, she swallowed some of the liquid, feeling it burn through her as intensely as the toxins from the hybrid's bite. When he was satisfied, Klaus moved back and stood again. K coughed from the forced action and glared at him.

Damon and Elena had listened. When they heard K fighting with Klaus, they were ready to intervene, until they saw what the fight was about. Neither of them was going to interrupt the hybrid healing their friend and let it happen against K's wishes.

"Why?" she demanded angrily. She began wiping at her face, trying to remove any trace of him that touched her. "Why would you do that!?"

"Because I don't wish for you to die!" he yelled, stunning all that heard into silence. "Is that so hard for you to comprehend?!"

"Yes," she shot back. "You did it just to keep hurting me, didn't you? Are you really that sick?"

His brow pulled together sadly at the tears welling in her eyes. He could tell she was truly lost. As he thought briefly about what to do he moved towards her. She was trembling with anger. Klaus, while saving her life, had given her something she didn't want. In her mind, he was doing nothing more than prolonging the amount of time he could continue berating her and torture her with the nightmares of everything he'd done to her while she was living.

"Are you so sadistic that you would heal me just to keep screwing with me like you used to?" she asked breathlessly.

"I haven't laid a finger on you since,"

"It doesn't matter!" she yelled back at him angrily. "I remember it all. I remember everything that happened when you _did_ lay a finger on me and it still makes me sick."

Klaus felt a tug in his gut, one he'd experienced before and hated just as vehemently since.

"You wish to know everything?" he asked tensely, trying to keep his jaw tight when confronted with the scared little girl. But she saw sincerity... she saw willingness to help her.

K hesitated for a moment. She was suddenly at a loss for words. To be honest, she didn't know if she wanted the whole truth. She couldn't even think about what kind of hell he had put her through and blocked out for whatever reason. Maybe he'd taken the memories because they'd driven her mad? Did she really want to add to her nightmares? Being confronted with the chance to remember her own life, K began to question if she did or not.

Still Klaus advanced. He could smell the vervain within her ring and knew it was hidden inside. So long as she wore it, he couldn't compel her to do or remember anything. With the same speed he always used with her, he lunged for the young woman and took her hand into his. She felt him slide her ring from her middle finger, his eyes never leaving hers. Fear shot through her body at what he might do, but for the first time ever, there was no hatred or malice in the hybrid's eyes.

To add further confusion to the situation, Klaus reached forward to gently touch her cheek. K flinched as his palm hovered over her skin causing him to hesitate just a second before he touched her.

"_I can't force you to remember, you have to want it on your own. Are you willing to do that no matter the cost?"_ He asked softly in her native tongue. He felt they could be spied on and took the precaution in case.

Her brows pulled together so tightly it looked painful. Still he remained calm, kind which was more disarming than anything. She found herself missing the rage. At least in that she knew how to react.

"_Do you remember the loophole I told you about?"_ he asked.

"Yes." She replied in the same soft, nearly silent voice but in English instead.

"_When your memories were taken, the witch made sure there was only one way to get them back."_ He said simply. _"You had to want them."_

"I do."

"_Then kiss me."_

K shot back from Klaus, wrenching his hand from her cheek as though he'd suggested something impossible. In many ways he had. He tried not to be offended by the look of disgust in her eyes, but knowing what memories she would unlock made it difficult. He sat upright again, giving her the space she seemed to want and waited for her to relax. She didn't.

"You've got to be kidding me." She snapped with more derision than he wanted to hear.

"That's the loophole." He answered calmly, removing any emotion from his features and voice when he met her gaze. "_In_ _order to ensure I wouldn't simply give them back to you, the witch made sure you could only get them back if you showed me affection. After the things I had her implant into your brain, she knew it would be impossible so the truth would be hidden from you forever."_

"Implanted?" she asked, the anger leaving her face, but desperation seeping into her features again. "What have you done to me?"

Klaus looked away. While a good portion of the memories K had about her time with him were based on reality, they were also warped. Elijah made sure the witch instilled the necessary fear the servant girl should harbor for Klaus. Compulsion was tricky. It was easy to change thoughts, but leave emotions behind and the elder brother didn't want to give Niklaus the chance to do so, so he made sure the witch terrified the human sufficiently, even making some memories up just to be sure. Hence a kiss was the key. Everyone knew the chances of K ever looking at Niklaus as more than a monster was slim at best. Because of that, the memories that threatened his family would remain locked away forever.

"It was necessary." He reluctantly replied. Klaus gradually turned to her again. K's face hadn't relaxed. "If you want to remember, it's the only way."

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?"

"You don't." he answered honestly.

K's brows pulled together again. Her gaze shifted to her lap. She considered his words and whether or not she truly wanted to remember everything. She'd spent centuries upon centuries missing eight years of her life. In compelling her to forget about him and his family, Elijah inadvertently deleted nearly a decade of her life. In her mind, K had gone from an eleven year old girl to a nineteen year old young woman overnight.

She thought she was missing a part of herself not remembering, that something important about who she was had always been just out of reach. She was wrong, quickly remembering the torture and pain after Elijah had been daggered. While she may have been grateful to know she wasn't crazy, K still wasn't sure she should have been given those thoughts back.

And now she was given the chance again, this time either willingly taking the memories, or refusing them. The fear of what they might be lingered within her, but the fear of not knowing seemed to be slowly dominating her emotions. Again her brows pulled together and she found herself nodding. She wanted to be whole again, not to have gaps of her life missing. She deserved the right to know about herself.

"I do." She nodded. "I want my memories back."

Klaus valiantly hid the relief he felt at her decision and nodded softly. He remained where he was beside her, incapable of moving. It wasn't that he couldn't kiss her; he could if he chose to, but in order to negate the spell placed on K, she had to be the one to kiss him. _She_ had to initiate the affectionate contact and that was what caused her to hesitate.

Hesitantly, K sat upright and scooted closer to the man remaining stoic and motionless. He didn't do anything, silently waiting for K. Her stomach churned with 'memories' of what he'd done to her in her youth. It made the thought of kissing Klaus more than repulsive and he seemed to sense it. But again he remained still.

Meeting his eyes, K closed the distance between them. She moved at an agonizingly slow pace. She couldn't help it. Part of her was wondering if she could keep her lunch down with what she had to do. Deciding she had no choice in the matter, K closed the gap entirely between her and Klaus and pressed her lips to his.

Fire coursed through her from the contact, not from attraction but from the breaking of the hex. The kiss lasted a second, maybe two before she pulled back. K waited for the same flood of memories to come to her, but they didn't. Nothing did. She opened her mouth, ready to spout her anger at Klaus for making her kiss him when he grabbed her jaw and held it gently once again.

"The memories will hurt," he said softly, not letting her pull back further than the few sparse inches she already had and ensuring he had her focus. He needed it to compel her. "So you'll sleep peacefully until they return. When they do, you'll wake up and remember everything."

His voice was so soft it was slightly disconcerting to those who knew him.

"Do you understand?" he asked in the same tone.

She nodded slowly.

"Yes." She whispered.

A smile touched his lips before fading again.

"Sleep."

He watched as her eyes fell blissfully shut. Her body went limp and he gently let her fall back onto the bed, adjusting her until she was lying comfortably within the blanket again. Klaus didn't know Damon and Elena were leaning in, peering just around the corner as he slid the young woman's ring back on before standing upright. He didn't bother looking at them either before disappearing completely.

Elena and Damon made their way into the room. Their confusion only grew when Damon tried to rouse the young woman and she wouldn't wake. His brow furrowed as he continued to try and still she wouldn't budge. It was like she had suddenly slipped into a coma at nothing more then Klaus's urging.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to everyone who's not only cared enough to stop by and read the story, but comment. I hope you enjoy it as it progresses. Oh, and for her dress, think of Erika from Underworld, the blonde vampire. Her dress is gorgeous.**

Chapter 12

Dangerous Liaisons

Three days and still K hadn't roused. Damon had tried everything. He waved liquor in front of her nose, blood, blared loud music, shook her continuously and yelled at her and still there was nothing. She never even flinched. She looked thoroughly dead. It wasn't hard for a vampire to look like they were dead to the world given there was no pulse or biological need to breathe. The only thing that kept him from thinking she actually was gone was that she hadn't turned that sickly grey color their kind turned when they did die.

So he sat there in a chair in the corner of the room, chewing on his lip as he thought about what to do. He couldn't think of anything else and it was driving him insane.

"No change?" Elena asked as she walked into the room.

"No." he sighed, adjusting himself slightly. "Short of setting her on fire I've tried everything."

Elena rolled her eyes at the thought of fire being their last option as she approached the body on the bed. K still looked exactly like she had when Klaus left her save the wound was gone. The blood was still there, but she was as healthy as the walking dead could be.

"Remind me to tell her she owes me new sheets if she ever wakes up." Damon said, walking up behind Elena. "How's Alaric?"

"Fine, I guess. About as good as he can be given what happened."

Damon nodded as they made their way out of the room and downstairs again.

"So, still going to this ball thing?"

Elena sighed heavily and turned to face him with annoyance marring her features.

"Yes Damon, I want to go."

"Why?" he asked. "So mama Original can kill you?"

"She's a witch, not a vampire."

"A witch who had her heart ripped out of her chest and magically came back to life a thousand years later." He clarified. "Yeah, that screams _trustworthy_ to me."

She rolled her eyes at the vampire again and grabbed her purse.

"You're going to have to get over this Damon, seriously." She said before walking out the front door.

"Yeah, cause we have such a good track record with you and that family." He muttered sarcastically under his breath.

~~~!~~~

Later that night at the Ball the Mikaelson family was throwing, everyone was in attendance. It was unnerving seeing all of the Originals in one place, given what and who they were. It put everyone that knew them on edge. Damon, Stefan and Elena watched as the family danced in the ballroom without a care in the world and why would they? It seemed like everything was going the monsters' way and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

As the music began to shift into a new song, Klaus suddenly froze. The trio watching him noticed the action. The hybrid suddenly stood stock still while people moved around him, his eyes staring intently in a different direction. Slowly, the others eyes followed his line of sight and realized what held his attention so completely.

K stood in the entryway; looking around the area for the people she knew wearing her own beautiful gown. After waking up she'd gone home to find it and an invitation to the Mikaelson ball. With nothing else to do, K decided she should try to attend, even if she didn't mean she knew what to do once she was there. Something inside pulled her towards the home, towards the one that plagued her sleeping mind. Despite the intensely uncomfortable air surrounding her, K pushed herself to go. If anything, she wanted answers.

The young woman just stood with her eyes scanning the room as she moved uncomfortably. She was taller now by a great deal that was likely caused by the heels she wore. Her hair was up partially, only the top section while the rest flowed down in thick curls. The same ungodly green eyes shone brightly through the smoky makeup.

The dress she was wearing was unlike anything they had seen her wear before. It was jet black chiffon that shined, the bodice a strapless corset with what looked like some kind of intricate floral or leaf design, the sharp pointy edges the only thing visible against her ivory skin and the piece of mock sheer fabric that ran down the center of her chest to her hips, ending in a point. The dress hugged her curves until splaying out like a ball gown, moving effortlessly as though it were weightless as she walked; a thick choker with strung beads that matched her dress around her neck.

As though the shock of her being awake after days of sleep wasn't enough for the ones that had seen her only an hour ago in bed, Klaus walked towards her. K's eyes fell on the hybrid as he approached, his hands clasped behind his back respectfully. He said nothing and she didn't move as he stood before her. The three couldn't tear their eyes away from the scene, partially expecting K to fight the man but she didn't. She didn't do anything.

Klaus reached her and to their shock bowed respectfully before offering her his hand. She hesitated but took it. He wore a simple smile, not a condescending smirk, not a malicious grin, just a smile. That in and of itself was odd as he led the young woman to the dance floor. K still wasn't sure what to think, her face apprehensive and uncertain. Klaus only kept the smile and placed a hand on her waist as he took the other.

They didn't move for a moment, most of the eyes in the room on the evil hybrid and the young woman some of them knew. A new song began and soon they started to shift. It was a simple waltz, nothing special as they swayed around the dance floor. They moved effortlessly with the music, gliding without really touching the tiled floor. Her eyes never left his, her body still tense as he held the small of her back gently.

"Was your sleep interesting?" he asked after a few seconds of dancing.

"It was." She answered softly.

"And something is wrong with that?" he asked, noting her apprehension.

"I'm not sure."

The smile on his lips faded slightly as the dance floor slowly emptied. There were people, both his family and patrons of the city, who were watching the curious couple.

"I take it they weren't memories you were expecting to receive."

"How do I know they aren't fake? How do I know they weren't placed there like the others were?"

"You don't." he answered truthfully. "The only way to be sure would be if I died, and I don't plan on that happening any time soon. Or ever if I we're to be honest."

She didn't speak but her brows pulled together slightly. The song picked up and the two stopped talking. Instead, Klaus held her firmly as the dance required and their actions intensified. They were no longer swaying softly to the music. When the beat had turned a point, so did they.

K held to Klaus, uncertain of why or what was going to happen next, but she did as he swung her out. Her dress flew around her in a cascade of black until Klaus snapped her back to him, wrapping her around and still moving with the orchestral music. He spun her around, their chests pressed together and their eyes never blinking until the final thump of the song brought the end. On the last note, Klaus had dipped the young woman.

After the music's end, they stood, locked in their place for a moment, K's head slowly shifting to look at the man hovering over her. He stood fluidly though in no rush to do so, delighting when she shuddered as his hand ran up her spine to aid her. Their eyes never left the others, locked for what felt like hours until K blinked. She seemed to snap too, clearing her throat as she noticed everyone else staring at them. Almost immediately she stepped out of Klaus' hands. He seemed confused slightly though flattered she was flustered too.

"Excuse me." She muttered, the words barely more than a whisper.

And with that, she turned and left the dance floor quickly, nearly sprinting. Klaus smiled smugly to himself at her actions. It was hard not to. This meant he got to her, something he liked very, very much.

K wove through the crowd quickly, trying to get away from the odd scene she left in her wake. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all and even less what was going through her mind while she slept. Her trek didn't end until she was outside.

"K?"

The voice made her jump internally. Turning quickly, she saw Elena walking up behind her, the same odd look of concern marring her features too.

"Yeah?" she asked with a clearing of the throat, trying to look less shaken than before.

"Are you okay?"

A weak laugh left the young vampire's lips and she shook her head. She didn't know. She didn't know if she was alright or what was happening. She was confused. But she did know one thing. That she'd lie.

"Yeah," she forced. "I'm fine."

Elena nodded, but neither of them really believed it. There was something lingering that Elena couldn't place and K wasn't going to elaborate.

The pair stood in silence on the front step to the Mikaelson home. The night was nice, the air crisp and cool and it gave the vampire time to think. Her thoughts, however, were quickly interrupted by one of the Originals inside. It was one she never wanted to see again.

"Well, well, well," a cold voice chimed from behind. Elena turned curiously, but not before seeing pure, unadulterated fear mar K's face. "If it isn't Niklaus' little pet."

"No, no, no, no, no…" K began to chant under her breath.

Slowly and shaking with fear, she turned to see the source of the voice. Elena had only seen that level of fear from the young woman when she was faced with Klaus, and even then it seemed to pale in comparison. As it was, K swam in the emotion at nothing more than Finn, the Mikaelson sibling that had remained in his casket the longest. By all intents and purposes, she shouldn't have known him. Elena began to understand just how old she was.

Finn took leisure steps forward, a hand in his pocket and glass of champagne lazily clasped in the other. He seemed calm and eerily steady which made him all the more unsettling. K on the other hand was backing away, stumbling briefly when she'd stepped on her dress.

"Stay away from me." She said with no authority or strength.

A wicked smile touched his lips for no more than a second before disappearing again.

"What's it been?" he asked, keeping the casual tone to his words as he advanced on her. "Eight, nine centuries?"

"What's going on?" Elena asked, finally speaking after remaining silent for the majority of the confrontation.

"This doesn't concern you, human." He said to her though his eyes never darted. "What was your name again? It started with a K, didn't it?"

"You know _exactly_ what my name is." She hissed.

He cocked a brow and tensed his jaw. Before Elena could register the movement, Finn raced for K. Coughing and choking diverted her eyes to the young woman being held high in the air by her throat. Her feet kicked uselessly beneath the weight of her heavy garment and Finn kept his gaze stern. Elena didn't know what to do.

"You will watch your tone when speaking to me _servant_." He growled. "Or do I need to teach you another lesson?"

Panic pulsed through K and before she could think better of it, she screamed and kicked Finn in the chest. He grunted from the force of her pumps shoved into his chest and dropped her. K hit the ground ungracefully, something that was rare for her kind.

The scream brought attention from within the house causing a few patrons to emerge in the doorway, but the scream had brought more than just the humans. Elijah, Kol and Klaus appeared quickly, thinking briefly there was bloodshed only to find K scurrying away from an irate Finn.

"You bitch," he hissed, taking steps towards her before his brother appeared in his way. He glared hatefully at Klaus. "And here you are again to defend your little lap dog."

Klaus's eyes were dark, his jaw tight and every muscle in his body ready for the impending fight.

"Walk away Finn." He said sternly.

"Choosing dinner over your family again, Niklaus?"

Klaus altered his stance just enough to let his brother know he was serious.

"Well look at this." Another voice chimed. Kol, smiling far too happily for the tense situation, began to descend the stairs. His step was light as he joined his older brother Finn's side. "Niklaus's little pet survived."

"Oh my god," K breathed, watching as every figment from her nightmares appeared in front of her. "They're everywhere."

"Oh look!" Kol laughed. "It remembers us."

Klaus kept staring hatefully at his siblings while they relished in the fear billowing from K at nothing more than the sight of them.

"Perhaps," Elijah called, taking only a few steps forward and electing instead to remain primarily in the background. "It's best you leave."

He made her the offer after seeing the paralyzing fear she held for his family. He didn't blame her. He'd not only been there through some of her torture, but been the source of some of it too. He only wanted to save her from further discomfort. Elijah felt regret for most of what he'd done to the little servant girl, but he knew his brother wouldn't.

Without bothering to hide herself from the sparse humans that had remained in the doorway, K raced from the scene with little more than the sound of fluttering fabric. She was gone in seconds.


	13. Chapter 13

**You guys rock. :)**

Chapter 13

K stripped herself of her garment quickly, ripping at the fabric and wanting to get it off her body as quickly as possible. She felt her skin crawl and wriggle. It was disgusting and she just wanted to rip it off as easily as the fabric.

When K awoke with her memories, she awoke with _all_ of her memories, including what that horrible family had done to her. The ones who taunted her, who laughed at her like they were the cat and she was the mouse were the cause of so much pain it was staggering.

She had to bathe, do something, _anything_ to get the feelings off. Stripped of her clothing, K rushed into her bathroom and turned the hot water on and nothing else. She let the searing liquid stem from the showerhead and stood beneath it, hoping to burn off Finn's stare.

It didn't take long for the tears to start. After everything she'd done in her life, the things she'd seen and the bravery she'd gathered, nothing more than a stare from the eldest Mikaelson turned her into a withering mess of a child. Not even Klaus held that power. Pressing her back to the tile, she slid to the base of her shower stall and curled her knees to her chest. K cried into them and trembled with memory.

She didn't know she wasn't alone. She didn't know that when she'd come home she never resealed her dwelling and paid for it. Ears listened from the other room as she cried in the solitude of her bathroom.

Klaus found himself sitting on the bed in her apartment, more than capable of hearing her cry within her shower. He expected that reaction if she ever spotted his brother, but he hadn't done anything to prevent it. He was too busy with Caroline, his new infatuation. While Klaus had felt something for K centuries ago, he was beginning to wonder if she hadn't gone mad with the memories he forced her to relive.

Perhaps letting her hate him was the better option. At least that gave her point and purpose. Forcing her to relive things that happened so long ago it shouldn't matter seemed to be ripping apart the things he once adored in her. That was part of why he was drawn to Caroline. Klaus had a thing with realism in every aspect of his life and from the time he purchased K to the time he met Caroline, there was no one else. In a thousand years it was only the two that sparked the slightest flicker of interest and in his attempts to save his pride, Klaus may have broken one. He only wanted K to remember in hopes she'd swoon as she once did, be willing do anything he told her because he relished in that power, but she hadn't. He wasn't sure she was the same.

With nothing to do, Klaus scratched a note and left it on her pillow before leaving, unwilling to remain behind and listen to her suffering. He'd forgotten about that one, single memory, the one he made sure to lock away so deeply it could never see the light of day. He'd forgotten unlocking everything would bring it back.

~~~!~~~

K exited the shower when the water had grown cold. She wrapped herself tightly in her robe, clinging to the edges of it as she stepped into her bedroom. She still didn't feel clean. Prepared to sleep for another thousand years, K sat on the edge of her bed and spotted something resting crookedly on her pillow. A note. Knowing it wasn't there before she'd gone into the bathroom; K hesitated to pick it up.

It wasn't written in English, but she was more than capable of understanding the language. It was her own, the one she'd grown up with and still remembered despite it having died centuries prior.

_I am sorry._

Three simple words written in a dead dialect left on her pillow. She knew who it was from and it made her stomach lurch. She wanted to leave, to get the hell out of Mystic Falls as quickly as possible.

Without hesitation, K began racing through her apartment packing everything she could take.

~~~!~~~

The following morning, after the night's events and when K had everything set for her to leave, she called the only person she wanted to really talk to. After all, she'd known Bonnie the longest and the witch would likely –in turn- tell everyone else.

K waited as the phone rang. She picked at her fingernails in anticipation, peeling off bits of her polish before a familiar voice greeted her.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Bonnie." K replied under her breath.

"_Kalli, you okay?"_ she asked before seemingly remembering something. "_Elena told me about last night."_

K's brows pooled together tightly in the center of her forehead as she continued to stare at her hands, the phone pressed to her ear with her shoulder.

"Yeah well…" she hesitated. "I'm uh, I'm leaving."

"_Mystic Falls?"_

"Yeah. I can't be here anymore, not with all of them awake."

"_But,_" Bonnie didn't speak for a moment as she tried to think of what to say. She heard from Elena how terrified K had been when she saw Finn and that worried her. She'd never known K to be scared, not really until the Originals were involved. "_What happened with Finn?"_ she asked brazenly.

K's eyes began to burn at the memories coursing through her brain. She thought about how to start and whether or not she should. It wasn't a happy story.

"You know I used to be their servant, right?" K asked after minutes of silence. "That Niklaus bought me?"

"_Yeah."_ She answered begrudgingly.

Bonnie never liked the thought of people being considered property, slavery in her own family history as well as most of the world. All it meant was one class of person thought they were better than the other just because they had money. It was a disgusting concept and flawed. That's why it never lasted.

Against her better judgment, K decided that perhaps she should tell someone. She'd known Bonnie for so long, dipping in and out of the girl's life literally since she was born. Everything they'd gone through in those years bonded them in a way and while K was never really a true friend in some regards, she knew Bonnie was the only one she'd ever tell. The story would never again leave her lips.

"Well one night, when they were all still living together, Finn summoned me." And she began to tell the horrible story.

"_Come along now little one." He said as charmingly as he could. _

_K paused. She never trusted the eldest sibling and for good reason. Though Finn was an attractive man to most women, she never liked him. He smiled warmly and was skilled in many ways, but she could tell there was something else. Either because of the hatred he held for his brother, or himself, Finn's brown eyes never looked more than black when he'd glance in K's direction._

_He noticed the hesitation and his smile turned curt._

"_Come with me." He tried to remain as calm as possible, but she was being defiant and after all, she was a servant._

_K flinched. He could smell the fear starting to emanate from her._

"_I don't think this is an advisable action, my Lord. What if your brother," _

_His smile all but faded at the mention of his brother. He growled from deep within his throat and ice shot through her veins._

"_He won't mind." Finn lied. "Nothing bad will happen."_

_She calmed slightly, but he could tell she was still nervous around him. K always was a bit nervous around the Originals in the first place -knowing what they were- but Finn was the one she never paid much attention to. He never gawked at her like an appetizer as the others tended to, so she never truly feared him or his indifference. But something had changed and she felt it._

"_Come," he chimed again, this time taking her hands in his and leading her into the room he'd been given._

_K's heart was beating frantically in her chest as she was led into the center of the room before hearing the door latch behind her. Fear began to swallow her whole the moment she heard the ungodly click of the lock. K spun on her heel to see the vampire smiling at her almost wickedly._

"_My lord," she muttered weakly._

"_Yes?" he asked with the same predatory grin as before. It made her skin crawl. He began to pace, moving languidly into the bedchamber._

"_I think this is unwise." She told him quietly. "Perhaps I should be leaving."_

_K tried to leave, struggling to beat the vampire to the threshold, but she was foolish to do so. Instead, he suddenly appeared in her path. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of him looming over head. _

"_Now where do you think you're going?" he asked tersely, any kind tone gone and replaced with vindictive malice._

"_Please," she muttered softly, backing away from the vampire with his every step forward._

"_Please what?" _

"_Please don't do this." She begged, tears beginning to well in her eyes._

_He didn't speak. Her eyes were glistening with tears. She was terrified and he knew it. Finn took a deep breath, inhaling the emotion coming from her and relished in it. She may have only been a child, but she was a favorite, __Klaus's__ favorite. _

_Finn was still angry with his brother. Klaus thought the world should be handed to him, that his other siblings should bow at his feet and while Elijah and Rebekah seemed more than willing to do so, he and Kol weren't. Well, Kol simply didn't care, too happy to follow along in the carnage than bother with who was in charge. Finn hated it. He was the oldest. He was the one that should dictate where and when they're family moved. He was the one that should have been in charge. And then Klaus had the gall to dote and treat a human better than he did his own blood? No. _

_Without warning, Finn lunged forward and gripped her tightly in his steel like fingers. His eyes shifted black with hunger. _

"_You will not move." He growled, compelling her to do as he wanted. "You will remain here, still and motionless until the morning when I've had my fill of you."_

_She was whimpering, her body going limp immediately. Finn took her and threw her onto his bed. K slammed her eyes shut instantly, refusing to meet the horrible gaze of the man. She felt the hay filled bedding shift around her._

"_Look at me." He told her sternly, K still refusing to do it. "Look at me." He commanded angrily._

_K reluctantly did what the frightening monster commanded. Tears moved down the sides of her face with the inevitable hanging over her. He didn't seem fazed in the least by it. _

"_Please," she whimpered._

_He seemed indifferent to the entire situation which only added to her fear. The Original ignored her completely as he stare hungrily at her, thinking of what he could do. She wanted to put her hands over her eyes, she wanted to hide, to do anything but she couldn't. He didn't want her too and because of that, she had to suffer through every second of it. The tears fell without inhibition. _

_Finn was still angry with Klaus and taking his anger out on the one thing his brother coveted was the only way to make him feel better. K knew what was going to happen and began to shake. She cried out, slamming her teary eyes shut again when Finn grabbed her wrist and squeezed. If he'd been human, the action would have done nothing but leave a bruise. Instead it broke her bones. He was going to break Klaus's toy, emotionally, mentally and physically._

_Taking her other wrist in his hand, Finn gripped it just as tightly and heard the small bones splinter. K cried out again in pain. He'd commanded her to remain still making her paralyzed, not numb. Feeling the pain course through her, K bit down on her lips to try and steady herself, but it didn't work._

_As though the minor torture wasn't enough, she felt him suddenly sink his teeth into her throat and begin to gnaw at her. This time she screamed a horrible blood curdling scream as he drank. Finn knew he'd only have minutes at best to do what he wanted to before someone came to stop him. Even though he'd waited until Klaus was out of the house to snatch K, all of the Mikaelsons knew he was never truly far away from his toy, so Finn made it count. Part of him hoped she'd die before his brother would find them._

_K struggled to breathe, to do anything. Her breath was just out of reach, heat throbbing from each wrist and the gash in her throat. It felt like Finn was trying to chew off a piece of her and to make everything all the more horrifying, K felt him begin tugging at her dress, bringing it higher up her thighs. The only thing K could think to do to save herself was scream, repeatedly. _

_A sudden bang hit the door, but the vampire didn't stop his continuous assault. Instead, he bit harder. The banging persisted until finally the wooden door couldn't take it anymore and it burst into the room. Shards of debris flew everywhere when an irate Klaus appeared in the threshold. He immediately seethed with rage._

_Klaus raced forward and gripped his brother's shoulders, throwing him backwards violently. Finn hit the wall hard, the stone bricks crumbling under the force. Klaus was at his brother's throat within seconds, pinning the man to the ground and snarling like an animal, ready to kill his own sibling when he heard it. Soft whimpering touched his sensitive ears. The snarl faded and he stood, turning to see the bleeding young woman on the bed. With fast movement, he snapped Finn's neck and rose to stand completely. He slowly approached, looking down at her and saw her staring up at him. He'd never seen such pure terror._

"_Please…" she breathed, still trembling._

_His eyes shifted back to normal and he raced to her side. _

"_I can't move." She told him frightened. The tears came stronger than before, even with her threat gone, his words remained._

_Klaus's hand hovered over her face for a moment, uncertain of what to do. There was so much blood pouring from her neck that he was having trouble comprehending what was happening. His brows pulled together tightly. _

"_Kultaseni." (my darling) he whispered quietly, leaning over the young woman and sitting beside her._

_She was still crying, struggling to do anything and he could see it. His hand came out and touched her cheeks. K flinched whether she meant to or not, incapable of anything else. When she opened her eyes and looked at him again, she noticed his figure starting to fade. She was getting weak._

"_What's he done to you?" he asked softly._

"_I can't move. He's told me not to move and I can't move." She told him panicked._

"_Shh." He reassured her as best he could. "It's alright. It will be all right."_

_She slammed her eyes shut once again and tried to nod, but there was nothing she could do. She was beyond petrified with fear and command that wasn't her own. But eventually, he noticed her heart was beating at a slower rate than her panic would induce. _

"_Here my dear."_

_K couldn't move to see him rip open his wrist only felt it when it was gently pressed to her lips. She drank without hesitation, feeling her life nearly slipping from her with the intense bite and trauma done to her body by the hand of the Viking brother._

"_There now." Klaus whispered softly, watching the wound on her neck stitch itself together. "No need to worry."_

Silence stretched between them for a moment, and then another, then another. Bonnie was trying to process the story she'd been told. Of everyone in the Mikaelson family, she assumed Finn was the least likely to lash out. Ordinarily she might have been right, but she hadn't been there through the contentious times between the siblings while all of them were living under the same roof. She hadn't seen how much Finn wanted to hurt his younger brother and how disgusted he was in Klaus for doting on a human slave.

"That's how he found out about the daggers." She said softly. "Klaus wanted to find some way to kill his brother without actually _killing_ him."

"_Oh my god."_ Bonnie breathed. _"I'm so sorry."_

"It happened a long time ago." She said, making it sound less important than it was. In reality, the memory was so fresh, it might as well have happened the night before. "Look, I just can't be around here anymore. I have to go."

"_Yeah, I get it. Do you know where you're going?"_

"Let's start with the other side of the country." K teased lightly. "Call me if you need anything, you hear me? _Anything._"

"_Okay_." Bonnie said softly. "_I'll talk to you later."_

They said their farewells and ended the call. K stood from her seated position and looked around, double checking her things to ensure she had everything she'd need.

A honking horn drew her attention. K went to the window and noticed her taxi had arrived. Looping her bags around her arms, she headed downstairs. With a few words to the cabby about where she wanted to go, K set off.

She didn't know she wasn't alone. She didn't know there were eyes following her every move.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

K didn't make it to her new home. She didn't even make it out of the taxi after arriving in California. She should have stayed in Mystic Falls and she should have stayed appraised of everything that happened in the few days after the Mikaelson Ball.

"_You sure this is a good idea?" Damon asked as he and Stefan eyed the young woman in first class._

"_I don't have any other ones. Do you?" he growled under his breath. He wished his brother would realize how risky it was for the two of them to be talking._

_I'm just saying," he sighed softly, making sure their voices were low and easily hidden within the rumbling of the plane's engines. "There's a lot of room for this to go bad."_

"_Having seconds thoughts?"_

"_Sobering thoughts maybe."_

"_Well what the hell else do you want to do?" Stefan asked with an edge. He turned to his brother, both of them nestled low in their seats to try and stay hidden. "They're all linked. We just have to get one of them and this is the only way to ensure we do."_

"_But this is Kalli. Dude, she's a friend. She was right there with us when we fought against Klaus."_

"_Exactly. She's willing to do anything to get rid of that family. You saw how she was when she saw Kol and Finn. She'll understand."_

_Damon raised a brow at his brother's words. He wasn't as sure as Stefan seemed to be, but he wasn't really sure how much of the Ripper was remaining versus normal Stefan either._

"_I doubt that." He muttered._

Klaus was still stewing about everything. He'd been looking for his mother and Finn for nearly two days and had nothing to show for it. It was drawing on his last nerve. The only thing that helped was Rebekah's willingness to seek out her brother. Apparently she heard a rumor of a rumor and was going to investigate. Klaus had faith in her survival so he knew she'd be thorough.

Someone knocked on his door and his irritation grew. Reluctantly, he stood and made his way to the door. When he opened it, his glower deepened substantially.

"Why are you here?" he asked in a deadpan voice before spotting the apprehensive brunette. "Come to give me the doppelganger?"

"Yeah, no." Damon replied easily, gently taking Elena's wrist and moving her behind him protectively.

The action only made Klaus chuckle to himself. He met Damon's hardened gaze and raised a brow.

"Well Salvatore?"

"We've come to negotiate a trade."

There was sarcasm in his voice. There was _always_ sarcasm in Damon's voice, but something else lingering just within that put Klaus a bit on edge. There was confidence, more confidence than the much younger and weaker vampire should have.

"For what?" Klaus asked, keeping his concerns to himself.

As though on cue Damon's phone began to ring. He held up a finger to pause the conversation and dug into his pocket. Klaus narrowed his eyes, but the dark haired man either didn't notice or didn't care. Instead he mouthed the word _sorry_ and looked anything but.

When he grabbed his phone he opened it up and smiled at the screen.

"Right on time brother." He mused. "He's right here."

Damon handed Klaus the phone. True enough, Stefan was on the other end of the video chat. Klaus raised a brow.

"What is this?" Klaus asked.

"_A trade_." Stefan replied calmly. _"One life for another. Simple."_

"And what could you possibly have that I'd want?" he asked arrogantly.

Stefan smiled. Without another word, Stefan shifted the camera to show what he had to bargain with. Klaus's stomach dropped.

K was lying on a bed. The room was dark and gave him no indication as to where she was, but he could see her clearly and knew it was by design.

She wasn't moving. A thick smoke filled the air around her, hovering primarily around her body while something over her shoulder smoldered. Her skin was a sickly shade of gray. He soon noticed the source of her stillness and sick appearance was a medical IV strung into her arm. It wasn't the plastic bag modern medicine used, but the old glass canister from the old days. It allowed Stefan to add some very familiar and very toxic herbs to the clear liquid. Vervain leaves and the plant's brilliant flowers floated around within the saline solution and all of it was being pumped into the young woman's body at a steady pace.

Stefan brought the camera back to him.

"_One life for another."_ He repeated darkly. _"Simple."_

Klaus glowered hatefully.

"You wouldn't dare." He said. "She's a friend of yours. You wouldn't actually kill her."

"_You sure about that Klaus? You've seen what I'm willing to do to get rid of you. You really think I won't bury a stake in K's heart?"_

"What?" Elena snapped.

She took a step forward but Damon held her back. There was a reason they hadn't let her in on the plan, but both knew her genuine shock would help sell their ploy. That was the only reason Damon had taken her with him.

She diverted the hybrid's eyes for only a second before his gaze turned back to Stefan.

"I don't believe you." He said through a tense jaw.

Stefan again decided actions truly did speak louder than words. So, he acted. Holding the camera firmly, Klaus's view was shifted to the woman sleeping. He watched as Stefan poised himself above her and the edge of a stake came into frame. Klaus felt his gut tighten. Stefan pressed the sharpened tip to K's chest just above her heart and began to press. Klaus held firm and didn't speak or move. He didn't believe Stefan would really kill the young woman, but the more he pressed and the deeper the stake sank, the more Klaus began to worry.

K gasped when the head of the stake disappeared into her chest and Klaus knew Stefan was an inch or less from piercing her heart. Even a splinter could kill a vampire if it pierced the major muscle.

"Enough!" he snapped suddenly.

The stake stopped moving and Stefan appeared smugly in frame.

"_Do we have a deal?"_

"What are your terms, exactly?" Klaus asked with an eerily calm and unnatural edge to his voice.

"_You for her. You're going to meet us in the Lockwood crypt in two hours._"

"Oh Stefan," Klaus cooed. His voice was so cold it shot ice through the veins of anyone who heard it. "I don't think Damon will survive that long."

"What?" Damon asked confused. "I feel…"

Before he could finish his statement, Klaus shot forward and ripped into his neck. Damon cried out, Elena screamed and Stefan was left not knowing what happened until the proudly beaming Klaus reemerged in the phone's view. He smiled happily with Damon's blood dripping down his chin.

"Now then, bring her to me and I'll heal your brother. Otherwise, he'll die."

Ending the call, he tossed his phone to the ailing Damon. With another smirk, he stepped into his home and slammed the door behind him.

~~~!~~~

Klaus waited impatiently until he saw headlights in his driveway. He calmed himself as much as he could -still enraged and concerned- and opened the door. Stefan glared hatefully at the hybrid which forced Klaus to smile.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"In the back." Stefan replied under his breath.

As Stefan moved towards the back of the small SUV, Klaus caught sight of the other two with him. Elena was in the passenger seat while Damon rested heavily in the back, still bleeding and slowly dying. The hatred they showed him made Klaus smile wider.

Stefan opened the hatch back and waited for Klaus to join him. The moment he did, the victorious smile faded. K rested in a fetal position unmoving and baring sores from her exposure to vervain. She wasn't dead, but she wasn't healthy either.

Without bothering to care the others were watching, Klaus dipped into the vehicle and pulled her from within. He sank to his knees and cradled her, waiting for K to wake up. He didn't bother asking why she wasn't moving. Stefan had likely broken her neck to keep her from fighting him. After all, she was a great deal older than him and his brother combined.

Klaus whispered to her in another language, telling her she needed to hurry up and wake. As though hearing him, she suddenly lurched forward and breathed deep. K coughed, feeling the vervain burn in her throat when she roused.

Her brows pulled together in confusion, an emotion not helped by the fact Stefan and Klaus both looked down at her.

"Where am I?" she asked, making a motion to stand.

"My home." Klaus replied, aiding her until she had her footing.

Her brows still furrowed as she looked around.

"Why?"

Klaus's features hardened.

"Ask your friends." He said simply.

K turned and gave her attention to Stefan. She waited for him to speak, but it became obvious fairly quickly that he wasn't going to say a word. Klaus was all too happy to do so for him.

"It appears your friendship was rather one sided." Klaus said leisurely. "The Salvatore brothers seemed to have decided you were more valuable as a bargaining chip than anything else. They had you vervained in a basement. This one here nearly put a stake through your heart."

K's eyes shot to her chest and immediately saw the hole the stake had left behind in her shirt. Her eyes darkened as she looked up at Stefan.

"That was _you_?"

While she didn't remember a great deal of what happened, she remembered being ambushed and the pain. She remembered the vervain being pumped into her body and the torture it caused. She'd never felt anything like that before in her life and hearing that it'd come at the hands of supposed friends was a betrayal K didn't know how to cope with.

Elena slowly came into view next to Stefan. She may not have known the plan, but she stood behind the brothers' decision.

"It wasn't personal." She said.

Shock ripped through K's features. _It wasn't personal_… the words still hung in the air as though her brain couldn't truly comprehend them. Klaus noticed K stuck somewhere between unadulterated fury and sadness. He took pity on her.

"Come along pet." He said softly.

Klaus gently put his arm around her shoulder and guided the lost K towards his home without so much as a glance back to the others.

"Klaus!" Stefan bellowed angrily. The hybrid paused and turned. "We had a deal."

Klaus raised a brow, and to their horror, he turned to K.

"What do you think love? Should I heal Damon?" he asked leisurely. "I did strike a deal with them after all, his cure for your return."

The trio felt fear rush through them. If K told him no, they knew Klaus would have no reservations about leaving Damon to die. And, as it was, there was no reason for K to help them.

"Do it." She said, stunning them all. She looked hatefully to the three standing in the drive. "After all, keeping our word is what separates us from the animals."

Klaus chuckled and smiled with a nod.

"Well spoke." He agreed.

With a light step, Klaus made his way to the SUV where the sickly Damon was being helped out of the back seat. The elder brother hung limply on Elena's and Stefan's shoulders. Klaus had made sure to infect him as much as possible so Damon's advanced state didn't surprise him.

Biting his wrist, Klaus offered the cure to Damon who greedily took it. Seconds passed and the wound healed. Klaus took the appendage back and the three shifted to put Damon back into the car.

"Wait," K called. They paused and watched as she walked towards them, her face blank and devoid of any warmth it once held. She moved to the front of the car and before they could ask why, she gripped the metal tightly. K had squatted down to grab the front end and with as much effort as one would use opening their mail, she flipped the vehicle end over end until it landed upside down. The crunching metal filled their ears seconds before Klaus's laughter. "Nothing personal."

"Well played." Klaus beamed.

Still remaining as blank as before, K began her trek back towards the Mikaelson mansion.

The trio left as quickly as they could, fearing what K might do to them if they lingered. They'd seen how she treated people she didn't like and it was obvious they'd made it to that list. Damon fought the urge not to tell his brother he was right, but it was difficult.

Inside, Klaus watched silently while K made more arrangements for another plane ticket. Within a few minutes, she was finished and replaced her phone in her pocket. When she looked up she noticed him leaning casually against the nearest column, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her curiously. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all and to make matters worse, part of her was sure he knew what memories she was getting back after the spell broke. It made her nerves stand even more on end.

"Thank you." She said after a moment of staring at the one staring at her.

"For what?" he asked casually.

K openly glowered which made him smirk. The look lost power quickly and K found herself speaking before she could stop herself. Along with the memories of Klaus came the comfort she felt being around him. Damn witches!

"That's the third time you've saved my life. This is getting repetitive." She muttered.

"Third?" he asked. He knew of two off hand, not three. She seemed to sense it.

Klaus kept any mocking and insult from his words because he didn't feel it was needed, not now. It was simply two people having a conversation without motives or animosity. Strange…

"When you bought me." She answered under her breath before daringly looking up and meeting his eyes. She felt the need to wrap her arms around herself as she spoke either out of nervousness or because she was simply lost. "Someone else could've just as easily purchased me first. You remember what it was like back then. There's no telling what they might've done."

He didn't speak but gave her his silent agreement. There really was no telling what could have happened to her. While her life with him and his family was anything but normal, she was fed, clothed, housed and had mild happiness before it turned for the worse.

"You ran into me."

"You were in my way. I was trying to escape."

They smiled softly at the memory. It wasn't overly warming, but funny. But as they stood in uncomfortable silence, Klaus had a more pressing thought, something that bothered him but wasn't going to go away.

"You need to leave here, Kalli." He said. His words drew K's eyes, but she kept her features primarily blank. "Your friends have already proven they have nothing against using you and with my mother around…" he tensed his jaw before calming himself.

He met her gaze and she saw the flash of something old and familiar, a look she hadn't seen since he saved her from Finn. Klaus looked as though he was going to say something else, but the words never left his lips. K fidgeted again.

"I can take you to the airport."

"I'll manage." K said quickly.

Klaus nodded his understanding. He could see her discomfort, but he could see something else. She was warming to him. Good. He was patient.

K walked towards the front door again, Klaus slowly following but sure to keep a comfortable distance between them. When she opened the door briefly she paused. K turned and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Thank you again."

He nodded and without another word she disappeared. Klaus smiled to himself. Only a little longer and he'd have her just as she was almost a thousand years ago.


	15. Chapter 15

**you guys are awesome!**

Chapter 15

Season 3 Finale

K was gone, out of Mystic Falls and barely felt safer for it.

Bonnie kept K apprised of what was happening in Mystic Falls. She'd asked the witch to keep her in the loop with things that might affect her, like whatever the hell Finn and his other horrible siblings were up to. K felt the need to consistently watch her back regardless of the distance between her and the Original family. Distance was nothing to a vampire.

K would get texts or emails, a few short words telling her the newest story. Bonnie told her that Abby was gone, turned into a vampire because Damon had to stop Esther from killing her children. She told K that Finn and Esther had disappeared shortly after, a thought that truly terrified the young woman to her core.

The messages were short and to the point. It wasn't that Bonnie was being coarse, or rude, but the friendship they once had dwindled and the witch had other things to worry about. It wasn't anything new. Through the centuries of watching the family, there were Bennett women who didn't like K and wanted nothing to do with her after finding out her purpose. It was all the same.

When the youngest member would start to show her powers, K would introduce herself, usually as a fellow student or neighbor. While their mother began to train the daughter, they would generally introduce K and give the youngest member of their family the history of K's point and purpose. From there they could either choose to remain friends with K or not. It varied between the two, but no one had freed the vampire because they all knew the advantages of having one on speed dial. That was until Bonnie. Bonnie never totally re-warmed to K after finding out she was a vampire –a sentiment that started to not truly matter when everyone else began to turn- but before then she'd already let her pride dominate her good sense and she freed K from the blood spell.

K didn't mind the relative distance between her and Bonnie. She liked the young woman, there was nothing not to like, but it was something she was used to. If anything, Bonnie gave K her life back, something the vampire never had before. There was never a time she wasn't serving or helping someone else. For the first time in almost a thousand years, K didn't have to answer to anyone.

Even Klaus left her alone... for a while.

While things in Mystic Falls seemed to get worse, the never ending fight against the Originals and the normal inhabitants raged, K had slipped into a routine. In truth only a couple of weeks had passed since leaving, but in that short time without the threat of dying or the fear of everything else, K was happy. Or at least, she assumed she was happy. She wasn't anything else, so happy would be the next logical emotion, right?

Honestly, K had no idea how she felt. Her mind was still clouded with things she didn't understand and without control over her own thoughts, everything else was trivial. At night though, at night she would catch glimpses of the truth, flashes of her real past –not the one they tried to make her remember, but the truth- and in it made her feel normal for the first time in countless years. She felt like she had a part of her back, a part she didn't realize she was missing but always sensed. But the memories weren't ones she expected. She expected more nightmare inducing fear, not... not the opposite.

_The door opened behind her. Still holding a stake –something she knew may not help but made her feel better to have- she noticed the man of the house enter with a bit of food for her. She smiled as warmly as she could from her position near the window. Klaus returned the affection, but it was as weak as hers._

"_You need to eat something." He told her, bringing the bit of bread and single apple forward._

_K did little more than nod before her eyes moved back out the slender window. She had been watching the animals toil amongst themselves, busy with their simple little lives of eating and sleeping. She'd watched the sun rise, set, and then repeat its cycle without bothering to move. _

_Klaus stared at her, watching the young woman still too afraid of the boogeyman to try and sleep, let alone leave the window._

"_Has there been any word?" she asked softly._

_Even her voice was beginning to show the ware her body had gone through._

"_No." He answered begrudgingly._

_Klaus stepped towards her and set the food along side the water he'd brought her the day before and she still hadn't touched. K did little more than glance to her side before shifting again. He noticed her grip on the stake tense ever so slightly at the thought of Finn having completely disappeared. Klaus was so preoccupied with helping K, he hadn't returned to Finn in time. His eldest brother was gone._

"_He won't return." Klaus felt the need to say. _

_Her grip tensed again. With his brows pulling together, Klaus stepped around K's seat and knelt in front of her, drawing her line of sight. She looked at him, showing signs of sleep deprivation, dehydration and starvation. Her otherwise lustrous black hair was turning dull along with her skin and her eyes were darkening too. Aside from the fact her lack of health directly affected his food supply, he was worried. In the end, she was still a fragile little girl, barely fifteen years old._

"_Look at me, Kalliope." He said calmly. K tore her eyes from the window and looked down at the man in front of her. "I will not let anything happen to you again, do you understand? I swear I won't let another soul touch you. I give you my word."_

_He spoke so sincerely, so surely, part of her thought he might honestly believe his words. It gave her little solace in the end. _

"_You can't watch me forever, my Lord." She whispered in response, her eyes beginning to turn pink._

_She blinked and a single tear fell from each eye. Klaus felt his stomach turn. He didn't realize what was happening, but in the moment he found himself confronted with his brother assaulting K, something began to change inside him. A spark -no matter how small and insignificant- began to smolder. K felt the same. Klaus was no longer her master in her mind. The image of him being the one who owned her, who'd bought her on the auction block, began to shift and fade away. He was her savior, her protector, and the only one who ever seemed to care whether she lived or died. To a girl with nothing, that simple notion spoke volumes._

_Reaching up, Klaus tenderly wiped the tears from K's cheek with the back of his index finger. He felt her flushed skin burn his as he trailed his finger down, removing the dampness from her flesh and hopefully the pain that caused them. There was something so innocent about the way she looked at him. Despite knowing what he was and being well aware of what he was capable of doing, K didn't look at him as a monster. She looked at him like a hero. It was an intoxicating and alluring concept._

"_I've brought something for you." Klaus said, clearing his throat when it became obvious to himself he'd been staring._

_K's gaze shifted. Klaus stood and reached into his pocket to retrieve a small trinket. He presented her with a ring resting in the middle of his palm. K stared at it curiously. It was nothing special, not truly, but being a poor girl who never owned a piece of jewelry in her life it was amazing._

_It was a simple ring, silver in color but forged of thinly woven steel with a bulb of metal in the center. A blue gem was pressed into it, but the round mass of metal it sat on held a secret. Klaus took her hand, prying it from the stake, and slipped the ring onto her left ring finger._

"_There's vervain in the chamber." He said, ensuring the ring fit before releasing her hand. He met her gaze again. "It'll keep anyone from being able to compel you again."_

_K examined the ring, pulling it closer and staring curiously at it. It wasn't heavy, but she could feel the added weight of it on her hand. Again, she'd never owned a piece of jewelry before. _

_There were easier ways for her to keep from being compelled. He could always let her ingest it, but that would keep him from being able to feed on her. The herb would taint her blood, so he had a ring crafted, something that she could easily keep on her at all times and would never allow the vervain to deteriorate. _

"_Thank you." She said, meeting his gaze and seeming genuinely grateful. _

_Klaus nodded. He felt uncomfortable with the foreign situation, but there was little he could do about it. While he wanted to wipe her memory, compel her to forget everything, something in him didn't. Something, a small voice, told him that the trauma was too new. He feared she might be able to resist it on some subconscious level. Maybe when the event was older he'd try, but not just yet._

_Neither realized it just then, but that was when things began to shift. The night when Klaus saved her was the beginning of the end and in many ways it sealed K's fate._

~!~

_A year had passed and still Klaus hadn't wiped K's memory. He allowed her to remember the awful thing his brother had done for selfish reasons. He'd grown to like having someone rely on him, someone who looked to him as their savior, as their hero and he didn't want it to change. Even though K was still a servant, her duties had been greatly diminished to the point she almost didn't have any. Klaus had favored her from the moment he tasted her blood, monopolizing her attention because he fed from her, but now... now there was simply no ignoring it. He didn't bother trying to hide it from his remaining siblings any longer. In years passed Klaus at least tried to lie to his kin as much as himself by saying he didn't harbor favor for the young woman and treat her with indifference, but no more._

_K didn't see his attention for what it was like the other Mikaelson siblings seemed to. She needed it, craved it as much as she did food and water. With Finn still missing and the others beginning to look at her with the same darkness in their eyes, K looked to Klaus for further protection. It was the first time since being purchased by the charming Viking that K had ever truly been afraid for her life. _

_Even knowing what they were early on, she wasn't frightened by them. She didn't know why. Logically, K knew she should be terrified of the monsters, but it was difficult for her. After the evil and carnage she'd been exposed to since birth, the indifference and rage, meeting the Mikaelsons did little more than put a face to the sentiments, nothing more. Until __the incident__ at least._

_While Klaus kept their communal time to a minimum, he found himself lingering in the shadows watching over her. Even when he would be reading, drawing or painting in another wing of the manor, he kept his ears fixed on K's heartbeat. He wanted to be sure she was safe and alive. If he cared to notice, he would have realized he was becoming obsessive._

_K was in the process of bringing the final bucket of steaming water to Klaus's room. It was heavy, not so much so she couldn't handle it, but enough she had to be careful not to drop or spill the liquid. When she reached Klaus's door, she set the bucket down and opened it, stepped in and began to pour the water into his bathing tub with practiced motions._

_The rose water filled the air as the steaming liquid sloshed around within the bronze tub. It was a beautiful scent she liked and wished she could use. It was floral without being overly so. _

"_Is that the final bucket?"_

_The question was unexpected and surprised her. K squeaked and immediately dropped the bucket. While most of the water was gone, a bit of it still splashed against the stone floor. K began to relax after realizing it was only Klaus. _

_The young man smiled to himself as he stepped forward into his room. He was a silent predator. It was simply in his nature to be quiet whether he meant to or not and although it allowed for amusing situations, K suffered for it._

"_You frightened me." She breathed, trying to steady her heart as she dipped down and retrieved the bucket._

"_It wasn't my intention." He replied. "Is that the final bucket?"_

"_Yes, my Lord." She answered, nodding and glancing over her shoulder to the tub to be sure she had counted correctly. "If there is nothing else, I'll leave you to your bath."_

_K stepped around Klaus, ready to leave when she was suddenly stopped._

"_There is something else." He replied. Klaus turned as K did and met her gaze. "I'm a bit hungry."_

_K nodded obediently like she was meant to. Setting the bucket down near the door, she approached Klaus and offered him her wrist. It was always where he chose to drink. She never really knew why, but assumed he never felt comfortable biting the throat of a child. _

_Klaus kept his eyes on hers and took her wrist gently in his grip. But he didn't press it to his lips. Instead, he pulled her closer until she was nearly pressed to his chest. Still holding her wrist in his left hand, Klaus brought his right to her cheek. He brushed her hair back and laced it behind her ear. On instinct K tilted her head to the side. She wasn't sure what prompted the action, but it happened regardless._

_She felt him lean closer, the coolness of his lips hovering above her throat and growing colder the closer he moved until something pierced her skin. K gasped, sucking in a sharp breath and slamming her eyes shut. Klaus's grip shifted so he could better cradle her body and keep her neck at the proper angle._

_He'd tasted her blood before, but it was somehow different than the previous times. There was something lingering, something he hadn't tasted with her before and it was growing. K's eyes remained shut as she clung to Klaus's tunic. _

_As he fed, the initial pain from it began to fade and another sensation took over. It didn't feel like any other time he'd fed from her previously either. It was new and she wasn't sure she wanted it to end._

_Klaus tasted the emotional shift and knew they were nearing dangerous territory. Whether he wanted to or not, Klaus pulled away from K's neck. He rested his forehead against her cheek as he felt her blood coarse through his body. The pair was breathing heavily for no noticeable reason as their bodies pulsed. K felt herself moving into Klaus, inching closer until their foreheads were pressed together. With her body moving on autopilot, she lightly touched her lips to his._

_The contact was faint and wouldn't have been considered a kiss if their lips hadn't technically touched. K felt electricity course through her body at the miniscule contact. Klaus went rigid. He didn't move and instead –in an incredibly rare move- relinquished control._

_K didn't know what possessed her to kiss Klaus in the first place, or what made her want to repeat it, only that she did. This time she pressed her lips firmly to his and it began. The stolen glances, the feelings lingering under the surface that had slowly been mutating into something else were being released._

_She didn't cringe despite her blood on his lips. She didn't pull away. She didn't refuse his advances after the contact was initiated and she didn't have to be compelled. K kissed him because she wanted to and continued for the same reason. _

_Klaus was young, barely into his forties chronologically, but in truth never making it passed twenty years old. He was stuck forever in the age of promiscuity and with an overwhelming ego; he was more than willing to accept any woman who idolized him into his arms._

_And she did. It didn't take long for K to throw herself at the one who saved her, the one she considered her knight in shining armor. He was kind to her, protected her and despite feeding on her, she knew he was becoming her first love._

When K awoke, she found herself staring at her ceiling. It wasn't the first time she woke in the morning with dreams of times passed still floating around in her mind. While the old ones were nightmares, the new dreams that dominated her mind were drastically different. They _all_ circled around Klaus and the time she spent with him, slipping further and further into her feelings for the hybrid until she would willing swear on a stack of bibles she loved him more than life itself.

For three years after she kissed him, K let herself be swept away in the allure and otherworldly glamour that surrounded Niklaus Mikaelson. He was dynamic, charming, and attractive and acted like he cared about her. K might not have known whether or not his feelings were real, but hers very much were. She did everything he wanted, anything, all he had to do was ask and she would spring to action, blinded by her adolescent infatuation.

Young love might burn fast and burn hot, it might even burn quickly, but the embers never die. Like the other memories that had been locked away and released so recently, K felt the fresh wave of emotions surge through her with the newest memories of Klaus. That was the other reason she left Mystic Falls. Despite Finn's resurrection, knowing how Klaus had turned out through the years, how evil and cruel he truly was, and suddenly confronted with the pure, unadulterated adoration she felt for him in her youth confused K more than she thought possible. It threatened to rip her mind in two and didn't give her the slightest peace. She'd seen sides of Klaus she could assume he never showed anyone else and it only added further perplexity to her life.

K had never been given the chance to grow out of her feelings for Klaus. She never had the chance to get over him, to find someone new and move on like a normal person would. Instead, she was turned into a blank slate, the love and desire replaced with fear and hatred. And now that the fear and hatred was peeled away and revealed to be false, she was suddenly thrown back into the swirling vortex of teenaged love for an admitted sociopath who delighted in torture and pain.

With her head beginning to throb again, K dug the heels of her palms into her eyes and growled loudly in frustration.

~~!~~


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Considering the internal panic she felt coursing through her with no sign it would end, Rebekah dialed the only number she could think to and it was one person she truly didn't want to speak to. Of everyone in the world, K was the last soul Rebekah wanted to speak with. But she didn't have a choice. It was taken from her.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before the person on the other end answered.

"_Hello_?" K asked with lackluster enthusiasm.

"Kalliope." Rebekah sighed irritated.

K growled. She hated her real name so much, the reaction became second nature when someone used it. Back in the old days, she was fine with it, but times moved on and her name was archaic.

"_Is there something I can do for you Rebekah?"_

"That little girl stole Klaus." She said before she could talk herself out of what she was saying. "And Elijah and I would like him back."

"_What little girl? What are you talking about?"_

Rebekah growled to herself angrily.

"Elena." She snapped in the same tone. "Her and the Salvatore's stole Nik's body and we want it back."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. There was a lot K had missed and this seemed to be among them.

"_Body_?" she asked somberly.

"I don't have the time to get into it right now, girl." She snapped again, her ever thinning patience shining through. "Get out here now. If anyone can get those horrible people to give him back, you can."

"_Apparently you haven't heard about what happened last time I was there. Why don't you just threaten them or something? Isn't that what you're good at?" _K shot back.

She was no closer to understanding her own feelings and she didn't want to try and deal with anyone else's on top of them. But Rebekah had no choice when she called K. The Salvatores wouldn't deal with her, Elijah seemed to be doing nothing and K was the only bridge between them. She had to hope there was a flicker of emotion K still held towards her brother.

"I'm out of options." Her voice had lost the anger and was beginning to let despair seep into the words. "Just help me get my brother back. Please?"

It was the please that did it. In all of the years K had been around Rebekah, the proud Viking woman never used that single word for anything or anyone, let alone someone like K. She hated the dark-haired girl from the first time they fought and had through all of the centuries to pass. So, for her or anyone like her to actually ask, K knew the situation had to be dire. Then there was the issue of Niklaus having a 'body'. That insinuated death, something she highly doubted given he wasn't ash and all of them remembered what happened to Mikael.

"_I'm in California. Give me a few hours to fly there. I'll arrive by sundown."_

"Good." Was all Rebekah replied when she hung up. There was no need to say her thanks, K already knew.

~~!~~

Nearly seven and a half hours later, K found herself going through Mystic Falls once again and towards the same house that had driven her away. She ran through the streets as quickly as she could; worry beginning to surge through her no matter what she tried to do. At some point during her flight, K began to fear what might happen. The caring she harbored for Klaus was coming through no matter how much she wished it wouldn't.

K couldn't seem to reach the front door quickly enough and to her surprise, Elijah and Rebekah were already there waiting.

"Is someone going to explain to me what's happening?" she asked immediately.

Elijah glanced out of the corner of his eyes to Rebekah before back to K.

"I'm afraid my sister called you prematurely. We've already come to an agreement for the safe return of Klaus's body. You wasted a trip."

"That's another thing." K said, trying to ignore the smug tone of the vampire's voice. "His _body_?"

"A lot has transpired since you left."

"Evidently."

"But still," he sighed, sensing K's annoyance and wanting to keep her calm. He didn't need the added aggravation. "Perhaps you should accompany Rebekah to pick him up. Just to make sure there are no unnecessary surprises."

"I don't need a babysitter Elijah." She snapped under her breath.

"Clearly you do. Now, if you'll excuse me."

The man vanished within an instant leaving the two young women alone together. They eyed the vampire before them incredulously before Rebekah sighed and motioned for K to follow. Reluctantly she seemed to do just that, the two of them riding in the SUV together to retrieve the hybrid.

"Rebekah," K said when they'd already driven nearly half the distance in silence. "What's happening?"

She sighed but kept her eyes on the horizon.

"Mother's been busy since she left with Finn." Rebekah answered solemnly. "After Klaus broke the first curse she put on us, mother decided to try again. Ever the optimist when it comes to murdering her children. She turned Alaric into a super hunter and gave him the only weapon that can kill every last one of us."

"I thought you'd destroyed the White Oak centuries ago? Even then it doesn't work on Niklaus."

"She made one, just for him." She said sadly. "That's why your little _friends_ desiccated him and threw him in a coffin. To stop Alaric."

"That makes less sense than before."

Rebekah's head slowly shifted to stare at the young woman, her face blank. She found herself resisting the urge to ask K how she was so stupid, only to remember the girl had fled right after the ball weeks prior.

"Nik is their progenitor, just like yours. They did it to save their own skin." She explained in an unnervingly calm voice. K's brows slowly pulled together, her clarity still muddy. "If one of us dies, every vampire made with our blood dies too. You, them, every one of you dies if Nik's killed."

"How do you know this?"

"They've already murdered one brother. I'd prefer they don't get their hands on Nik or Kol too."

K's eyes shot wide. She didn't know that. She wasn't here for the Finn debacle and didn't know the man was even dead. Rebekah smiled wryly at the horror in the young woman's face before returning her attention to the road, the storage building coming into view.

As Rebekah found herself pulling into a parking spot, K realized a weight was lifting off her shoulders. The fear she held for the eldest brother returning for her was gone. He couldn't come back. He couldn't come slinking through the shadows, appear in the darkness and finish what he'd started. He was dead.

The urge to smile and laugh happily at the thought was forced down. Despite the blonde's curtness and relatively icy demeanor, Finn was her brother. K didn't want to be so disrespectful. No matter what Rebekah had done to her, she'd still lost a loved sibling and was wrapped in anxiety about potentially losing another. So K bit her tongue.

Without a word, the two young women exited the SUV and made their way into the relatively impressive storage building. They walked through the halls, down one and another, each of them looking the exact same as the last. Their patience was growing thin.

"You take that half, I'll take this." Rebekah sighed.

K nodded and stepped took the hall to the left while Rebekah took the right. They broke apart and continued their search.

While K found herself wondering if there was anyone in the building save her and the blond Original, something came up behind her. K spun to find Damon smiling cockily.

"Hi." He chimed.

K narrowed her eyes. She fought the urge to attack and he seemed to notice.

"Where's,"

Damon shot forward and pressed his palm to her mouth. His smile was gone and seriousness took hold. Shaking his head, Damon slowly removed his hand.

"_Alaric."_ He mouthed.

K bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. While she hadn't seen what the former hunter had been turned into, the worry both Rebekah and Damon showed for him was enough to make her heed his warning. Without having to worry about her speaking too loudly and giving away their position, Damon curled his finger, silently telling K to follow. She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked.

They traveled quickly, taking multiple lefts and rights before seeing Rebekah closing the lid to a jet black coffin. She nodded her appreciation to Damon and motioned to K for help. The black-haired vampire took one side, the blond the other and together wheeled out the coffin. Damon hung back, his grip firmly on the door. When they were clear, he pulled it down and disguised it as best he could to buy them just a few more seconds.

Rebekah and K moved as fast as they could without tipping the top heavy container with Damon in toe. He kept look out, glancing behind them repeatedly to ensure they weren't being followed. As they turned the corner, Rebekah's SUV was in sight, the back open and waiting. They nearly made it. They were nearly free.

Alaric appeared in front of them. He slammed Rebekah's face into the SUV and threw her to the side. K stepped forward to fight but was abruptly punched in the jaw sending her violently to the ground. Damon was next, taken out by a kick to the gut. They were dazed from the force of the hits, but not out of the fight entirely.

They heard hinges. Turning, the trio watched as Alaric opened the coffin. K got a fleeting glimpse of the man within, his gray skin covered in protruding veins. He looked sick. Before she could fathom what she was seeing, Alaric plunged the stake into Klaus's chest. He gasped loudly.

"NO!" Rebekah screamed as fire erupted from the man's chest.

K stared with her mouth agape as the fire consumed Klaus. Alaric ripped the stake out, slammed the coffin lid shut and turned his angry gaze back to the three that had tried to stop him. Soon he focused only on Rebekah.

"Next." He said sternly.

"Go. Get out of here." Damon snapped.

Rebekah wouldn't move, but K had the wherewithal to react. She grabbed Rebekah's arm and dragged her along, the blond soon finding her own footing. With K holding her hand, the two ran as quickly as they could from the scene.

They ran. They ran as hard and as fast as they could to escape the thing behind them. They ran through the streets, through the woods and everything else that stood in their way of freedom. They simply ran.

Tears began to burn in K's eyes the longer she thought about what she'd seen. It wasn't that she was going to die. That didn't seem to bother her nearly as much as she thought; it was that he was gone. K wasn't certain what to think about Klaus finally being gone.

Miles flew beneath their feet and within minutes they were far enough away to slow. K stopped completely first, looking around and listening for any sign of the demon monster that was following. Nothing was nearby. They were safe.

"I think we lost him." She said, her eyes still trained on the horizon before focusing on Rebekah.

Rebekah screamed. She reached back and threw her fist violently into the nearest tree. K felt her stomach turn at the pure agony marring the normally stoic young woman's voice. Still breathing heavily from crying, the two met gazes, their eyes watering and cheeks damp. Both knew it wasn't from the stinging wind as they ran. It was everything else.

"I'm sorry." K found herself saying before she could stop the words.

Rebekah's brows twitched together briefly.

"No you're not. You've wanted Nik dead for years. You're only sorry because now it means you're going to die." She spat angrily.

"No." K breathed, shaking her head. "I'm not." Rebekah's brows twitched again. "I've lost people before. I know what it feels like and I'm sorry for that."

She continued to glower at K. She couldn't help it, but hesitantly the anger towards the young woman slowly dissipated from her features. The tears came again and K was having trouble keeping hers from escaping.

"Go." K cracked, nodding her head towards the distance. "You and Elijah need to get out of town before Alaric finds you."

"You're not going to run?"

"Why?" she asked weakly with a shrug. "My time's already counting down. There's no point. The best I can do is distract him if he follows."

Rebekah didn't speak for a moment, staring at the young woman who was actually shedding a tear for her brother. Part of her wondered if they weren't more for herself, but as well as she cared to know her, K wasn't that kind of person. She was always standing along side someone, friends with another. She seemed to give herself a second thought most of the time. It was her loyalty, a trait that most could see as a hindrance or even disease that let her care more about the people around her than herself. Rebekah hadn't noticed it before, not truly, more blinded by her resentment for the brunette.

"I've hated you since the first time I saw you." she said finally. "Did you know that?"

"I gathered." She replied with a weak smile. "Never understood why though."

"Nik." Rebekah answered. "It was the way he treated you."

This time K looked at Rebekah with confusion.

"I think he actually loved you, as much as he could at least." She said. "I never had that, from anyone. I wasn't allowed to so I was jealous. I hated you for it."

"Well, I wouldn't suggest being sold into servitude as a way to meet men." K offered sarcastically causing them both to share a weak smile.

"Did you ever love him?"

The question wasn't completely out of nowhere, but had surprised K a bit, the evidence written across her features. She hesitated, willing to give the question thought and an honest answer.

"I don't know." She answered after a moment of thought. "There's a lot of history between us, but of everyone in your family, he's the one," her voice suddenly cracked when a lump formed in her throat without warning. She looked away from Rebekah and to the ground, struggling to make it go away so she could appear as indifferent as she wanted to. She fought the cringe at seeing Klaus burning in her mind, smelling his clothing and skin on fire. It hurt and made her statement a bit more difficult to get out. "He's the one I cared about."

Rebekah nodded slowly, seeing something else lingering within the words.

"Between you and his fascination with the Caroline girl," Rebekah said, drawing K's attention. "Perhaps you weren't so bad."

"Caroline?" K asked, knowing the young woman better from her first time to Mystic Falls than her recent return. "What does she have to do with your brother?"

"He's a bit of a crush on her."

K felt her face go blank and a brow rise slowly at what she was hearing. Rebekah seemed amused by the reaction, but didn't say anything about it. It was jealousy. Definitely jealousy, something K hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

"Well then," she finally said, clearing her throat before looking back to Rebekah. "You should go. No need to die on my account."

Rebekah nodded slowly, her eyes still on the young woman. K was staring at the ground again, her fingers dancing along her necklace as she thought. Rebekah was examining her, her eyes traveling over the young woman's entire body, taking in everything from her clothing to her hair. She had never truly_looked_ at the woman before and could suddenly see why Niklaus was taken with her so long ago. A weak smile touched her lips at the thought when she noticed something.

On K's right ring finger was a thin silver trinket with a jewel adorning the hidden pocket. It was a capture ring, one the blond remembered well. It was perhaps one of the incredibly rare times Klaus had given anything to anyone without expecting something in return. A thousand years later and she still owned the ring… There were easier ways to wear vervain, so Rebekah doubted that was her reason for keeping it. It meant something else. The smile on the blonde's lips turned genuine before she disappeared and the pain took hold of both of them again.

K heard Rebekah leave. She looked around, making sure she was alone before suddenly collapsing. Tears fled her eyes before she could stop them and she began to cry. The pain in her chest was real, so very, _very_ real and K didn't know how to make it stop. Whether she consciously still cared for Klaus or not, it was obvious by her reaction some part still loved him.

Sobbing to herself, K wrapped her arms around her body and trembled. Alone.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Season 4 ep.1

K hadn't left the forest. She couldn't make herself move the entire night. Her body was frozen, stuck where it was as it wallowed without her permission. She could still see everything. She saw Klaus desiccated and grey, his veins protruding while he lay dead. She remembered the shock on the hybrid's face when the stake was plunged into his chest. She remembered the fire consuming him and the smell of him burning. She remembered all of it and it hurt. It hurt more than it rationally should have and K cursed herself for it.

She knew she shouldn't feel the way she was. She knew Klaus was evil and wicked. She knew what he'd done just to the people in Mystic Falls in order to get what he wanted, but she knew other things too. Before she died, when she was still human and young, Klaus showed her kindness, he showed her caring and to a girl with nothing, it meant the world. He gave her gifts, taught her to read and better herself. He made her feel like someone actually cared for her and that was a difficult feeling to get rid of.

As the sun began to rise in the sky, the first orange and pink glints of light shining through the trees, K found her body under her control. Her brows pulled together tightly as she looked around the forest. The world kept moving. Time kept counting. She was alive.

Confusion began to dominate her. Rebekah said Klaus's bloodline died with him. She was part of Klaus's bloodline. Was there a time frame? Did it happen gradually?

Knowing nothing would explain her situation better than one of the Originals, K pushed herself up and ran from the wooded area. She raced straight for the Mikaelson family home. If anyone could explain what was happening to her, it was someone that lived there.

Minutes passed before K finally saw the ostentatious manor looming in the distance. She began to slow and finally stopped on the front step. K raised her hand, ready to knock when she heard someone scream and the crashing of belongings. Rebekah. K's heart dropped for the young woman and instead of knocking, she simply walked in.

She stepped through the house, easily hearing Rebekah in the other room and approached cautiously. It was obvious she was still upset –and rightfully so- so K was sure not to add further distress.

At hearing the light footsteps of another female, a theory solidified by the faint scent of perfume, Rebekah turned. The anger in her features was quickly replaced with confusion.

"How are you alive?" Rebekah asked.

K shrugged her shoulders as best she could, staring at the blond and mimicking the rosy eyes and damp cheeks.

"Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning." K said, stepping into the living room of Klaus's home. "I thought you said the entire bloodline died with the sire?"

"It did, does." She corrected, staring at K with deepening confusion. "We weren't 100% certain with the others, but you I know for a fact Nik turned. You shouldn't be alive."

"Technically, Elijah murdered me." K explained. "But it was Niklaus's blood in my system, yeah. It doesn't make sense."

"No," she said loftily, her mind working a million miles a minute as she tried to think. None of it made sense, but she pushed passed it if only for a moment. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you'd be able to elaborate." K said, moving into the room and noticing the drawings littering the floor.

One in particular caught her eye. She walked towards it, Rebekah still watching as she knelt down and fished out the drawing she'd spotted. K pulled it free and stared at the picture of herself. She knew it was her. There was no denying it, even Rebekah knew it was K, but it didn't keep either of them from being surprised.

K was lying on a bed and from the looks of it sleeping. Her face was resting in a pillow, her hair gently laid behind her head though a few strands touched her face. The sketch was of her face primarily though her shoulders were visible. It was good, very, very good and made her wish she could blush. The picture was old, but it didn't look a thousand years old which meant Klaus was still thinking about her some time down the line after she disappeared. She was flattered by it for obvious reasons and before she could ask Rebekah if she could keep it, footsteps touched their ears.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Rebekah asked annoyed.

K stood, still holding the picture as she turned to see Damon entering the room. When his eyes fell to the dark-haired vampire his brows pulled together tightly.

"I could ask you the same thing. Isn't Klaus your daddy?"

K glared back, resisting the urge to harm him. K wasn't in the mood for his sarcasm. She wasn't in the mood for much of anything really.

"The reason you're here Salvatore." Rebekah hissed, wanting to know.

His eyes darted from one irritated woman to the other. His plans suddenly shifted. He'd come with a very certain intent, but now he wasn't sure what to do. Rebekah was supposed to be alone.

"Since when are you two all chummy?"

"Since it became obvious that somehow, you, your brother and your girlfriend seem to remain completely untouched despite everyone else suffering for it." K answered without reservation.

Damon's icy blue eyes shifted to her and stayed.

"You seem mad." he said with a sarcastic wince.

K glowered before she could stop herself. Part of her wanted to ring his neck while another knew it would serve no good. Instead, she turned her back to him, unwilling to let her emotions run her though it was close. Her eyes went back to the image sketched on the paper and left Rebekah and Damon to talk.

While she was in the forest, K had a lot of time to think. And she did. She thought about everything from her time as a human to how she spent the centuries afterwards. She thought about people she considered friends, and acquaintances, and people who weren't even that. And then she began to think about the Salvatore brothers and Elena. She'd considered them more than acquaintances, if not friends, and in the end they betrayed her just like everyone else. They thought so little of her that in the end it was the monster who saved her life from the people who were supposed to be on her side. Despicable.

"Speaking of your girlfriend, shame to hear about Elena." Rebekah suddenly chimed, seeming anything but genuine. "Not to make a grey cloud greyer, but does Matt even have automobile insurance?"

With a curt smile, she turned her back to Damon. In his anger he immediately lunged. Rebekah spun around and caught him seconds before he implanted the infamous stake into her heart. K watched the fight play out. She knew logically she should probably help, but she didn't. Instead, K let the blond work out the vengeance she felt she needed to. Honestly, K didn't feel like doing anything to aid either side in the stupid, trivial fight they had raging between them.

Before anyone knew what happened, gunshots suddenly rang out. Rebekah and K lurched, both of them in the way of the window. K went down while Rebekah took an arrow to the heart before doing the same. The two women remained comatose on the marble floor while Damon fled to save his own skin. It surprised no one.

~~~~!~~~~

K's body hurt, as did her head. Every time she'd woken up thus far, she'd been quickly silenced. She wasn't one to conform to whatever her kidnappers expected of her and paid for it. They took added security when it came to K, more they had with the other two in the van with her. She assumed the only reason they hadn't done the same to Rebekah was because the Original had been unconscious. It took her longer to recover from an arrow to the heart.

When K roused for the second time, she, Rebekah and Caroline were still inside the van moving down an even road. She ached from the vervain soaked wooden bullets that had riddled her body. The pain was made all the more evident when K realized the Council had upped her restraints and the man that had been in the back with the vampires was suddenly gone. To make matters more interesting, there was something covering her mouth. K laughed before she could stop herself, smiling wide at what she saw.

Rebekah moved her groggy head towards the muffled sounds and finally noticed K. She was tied to the van's wall, secured tightly by the neck with more vervain ropes than the blondes and a leather strap over her mouth.

"Should I be surprised they gagged you?" she asked sarcastically.

Caroline smiled.

"She tried to bite one of them." She said with a light laugh. "It was pretty funny actually."

Despite the strap across her lips, it was obvious to everyone that K was smiling wide with pride. It forced one to tug at the corner of Rebekah's lips too.

"Well, well, I do have to say I'm a bit impressed. It seems you're not so easy a push over."

K shrugged as best her tethered form would allow.

"Now then, there a reason we're here?" Rebekah asked, uncertain as to what was happening given her late arrival to the conscious party.

"Alaric out-ted us all to the Council." Caroline said reluctantly.

"The Council?" Rebekah asked sarcastically. "What exactly do they think they can do to me?"

The sentence barely hovered in the air before something suddenly slammed into the side of the van. The trio was rocked, K feeling the metal crunch into her back -the impact sight- as they were lurched in the same direction. She found herself hovering over the two blond women, Rebekah and Caroline on their backs. K could feel immediately that something was wrong.

A bar that had been welded to the interior of the van as a roll-cage had come loose in the crash. At the moment it was lodged between a few of K's ribs, just to the right of her heart, and pierced through the van's wall behind her. She had been impaled. From the looks of it both Caroline and Rebekah were close to receiving the same treatment, but the pole instead passed right between them.

"Oh my god," Caroline gasped, seeing the blood pouring from the wound and down the metal towards her and Rebekah. "Kalli!"

"What the hell just happened?" Rebekah growled. Her keen eyes traveled along the crumpled interior and the sight forced her anger to rise again.

"K," Caroline pressed, kicking the young woman's hanging legs with her foot.

K groaned but little more. The pole had pierced her lung and was filling it with blood. True she wouldn't drown, but she couldn't speak either. The gag was keeping the blood from being spit out and the pole embedded in her chest kept her from healing. If anything it looked like she was going to pass out.

Without warning, the rear doors of the van were ripped open. Tyler emerged with a smile, reaching immediately for Caroline and ripping her restraints off. The youngest of the prisoners didn't hesitate to run into the distance and wait for her boyfriend to join her.

"What about me?" Rebekah asked desperately.

Tyler smiled slyly to the Original.

"Distract them little sister."

Rebekah's eyes went wide.

"Impossible." She breathed.

He smiled arrogantly to her before noticing the woman hanging from the 'ceiling' with the blood pouring from her body. His brows pulled together tightly. His hand came up and moved some of her long hair out of the way giving him full view.

"Jesus." He breathed, seeing her saturated with blood, gagged and her throat tied back into the wall. His shock turned to anger quickly. "You weren't supposed to be here woman. You were supposed to be gone."

K barely managed to open her heavy eyes and look at the young man. She didn't look like she could focus on him, barely seeing more than an outline of the person before her.

Sirens grew closer and _'Tyler'_ knew he had seconds at the most if he was going to escape. Without having a chance to do much else, he reached up and snatched the gag from K's mouth. Immediately she coughed up pools of blood, the crimson liquid spilling from her lungs into her throat and through her lips. Rebekah was luckily enough to the side she was hit with barely more than a few droplets, but her shock hadn't subsided at seeing _'Tyler'._

Before the police car reached them, seconds if that, _Tyler_ raced off into the distance to join Caroline. K was having trouble focusing. She couldn't die from blood loss like a human, but it was like she'd been drugged. Blood loss slowed a vampire down, made them sluggish and foggy.

"What's happening?" she asked heavily. K sounded like she had water in her mouth. It was disgusting.

"Klaus just rescued Caroline and left us to die." Rebekah spat hatefully.

"What?" K asked, her head bobbing as she struggled to focus.

"Will you wake up?" she snapped.

"Maybe if I didn't have a _six foot pole through my chest!_" K shouted, her voice gaining as much power as it could by the end.

Rebekah growled angrily, her mind working quickly for a plan. She looked around, noticing the humans were more concerned with their own and the vampire that escaped than the two remaining and decided to act while she had the chance.

"This will hurt." She warned.

K nodded, fighting the urge to be sarcastic when Rebekah moved. She brought her foot around and with a hard kick snapped the pole in half. It jostled the metal greatly in K's chest and caused her to cry out from the pain. She breathed heavily, the gurgle of it sounding loudly to those with sensitive hearing, but she couldn't help it. Before K had the chance to say anything or the humans return, Rebekah grabbed the remaining chunk of pipe with her feet and yanked it out of K's chest. A sickening pop took the place of the gurgles. She groaned from the feeling but instantly relished in it.

It took only seconds for the injury to begin healing. By then another vehicle was on its way to pick the two up that had been left behind and continue with the transport.

"Can you move?" Rebekah asked her.

"Less than if I were free, but more than being encased in concrete." She replied sarcastically. "You?"

"The same." She sighed. "I'm going to _kill_ Nik."

"Why kill a dead man? It takes the fun out of it."

Rebekah looked at the woman above her in disbelief.

"Were you not paying attention? Nik is in Tyler. He's not dead."

K's brows pulled together tightly in confusion before she noticed Caroline was gone. The confusion was suddenly overshadowed by jealous anger.

"Son of a bitch!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I'm going to rip his bloody heart out."

"Welcome back to the Club."

"And he left us here?" she asked. Rebekah nodded. "To die." She nodded again. "But saved the cheerleader?"

"So it would seem." She snarled venomously.

K sighed, wanting to lay her head back against the cold steel behind her but with her current position it was impossible. After all of his attempts to make sure she remembered him in the right light, to make her care for him again, he left her to die.

Rebekah would be fine in the end. Whoever kidnapped them didn't have the super stake and it was unlikely they had white oak, so other than putting her to sleep, the blond would live. K was another story all together. Despite her age, she was still very much a normal vampire.

~~~~!~~~~


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, okay, just one more update tonight, just for you totalrandum. :) I can't help it. It makes me want to add the whole story I have written so far, but I mustn't! haha. I'll update again tomorrow, so enjoy tonight.**

Chapter 18

The young woman sat in her cell, keeping herself from breathing so she wouldn't inhale the vervain being pumped into the air. She seemed to be one of the few smart enough while Stefan and so forth hacked their lungs out. Without anyone to speak to and still trying to come to terms with her confusion and anger in regards to Klaus, K had little to say in the first place.

"How shall I do it?" Rebekah asked after a moment or two of silence. She'd already finished taunting Elena and seemed willing to talk about something else.

"Do what?" Elena asked, assuming the Original was speaking to her.

"Kill my lying, disgusting brother Nik." She replied leisurely.

"He's already dead." Stefan coughed.

"He's not, in fact."

"What?" Stefan couldn't hide his shock.

"So then, how shall I do it? The stake to finish him off of course, but until then I'd rather like to have a bit of fun."

"Blood Eagle." K suggested from her position in the cell beside Rebekah.

"Oh," Rebekah perked slightly. "I rather like that idea."

"What's a blood eagle?" Elena asked heavily.

K rolled her head forward and looked at the withering human in the cell across from her.

"It's an old torture technique the Vikings used to use." K replied, feeling the vervain dust begin to itch her throat. "Rebekah would have to cut Niklaus's ribcage open along his spine, rip his ribs open so they look like bloody wings and then pull out his lungs. He wouldn't suffocate like a human of course, but it would be _really_ painful."

"Not worried about dying yourself if I killed him?" Rebekah asked the woman beside her.

K shrugged. She knew the sentiment didn't translate to the vampire who couldn't see her, but it was reflexive.

"I don't care about much anymore Rebekah." She answered honestly. "I really don't."

Rebekah turned her head in the direction of K's voice. She couldn't see the young woman in the cage beside her, but she knew she was there. For some reason the blond began to feel guilt towards K.

"_I'm sorry."_ Rebekah suddenly said in a language the others didn't know, but K understood. It perked K's attention. Rebekah wasn't as well versed in K's upbringing as her brother, but she knew the girl had learned their language long ago.

"_For what?"_ she asked in the same Old Finnish, honestly curious.

The blond hesitated to say anything. There was any number of things she could apologize for when it came to the ebony haired vampire, and while she normally wouldn't have bothered with the sentiment, she figured K deserved at least that much before she died.

"_For everything my family's done to you."_ She said after a moment.

A weak smile tugged at K's lips before disappearing just as quickly. She briefly questioned why Rebekah would bother, but her mind quickly assessed the situation and came to the same conclusion as the Original. They were going to die. It was obvious Klaus had no intention of saving them and no one else seemed to know where they were, so death was coming for more than just Elena.

"_It doesn't matter._" K said before switching to English. "I should be grateful though I suppose."

"For what?" Rebekah asked in English as well.

Again K shrugged to herself.

"I could've just as easily died in the streets. At least this way I got a few more years out of life."

"Too bad you had to die first." Rebekah teased lightly.

K smiled to herself again.

"Yeah well, I guess I'm grateful for that too in some sick way." She sighed. "Besides, it's not like Elijah knew this would happen when he snapped my neck."

"Then I suppose it's true what they say."

"What's that?"

"The first born is always an accident."

Before she could stop herself, K laughed. Rebekah giggled lightly from her side of the cage too, but K's laughter was cut short by the vervain dust. She began to cough, putting an abrupt end to their conversation.

Slowly the coughing began to fade, but K still mused over Rebekah's statement. It was too true not to be funny. She was Klaus's first _child_ and her turn had been a complete accident. Klaus never would have turned her, or at least K assumed he wouldn't, but Elijah never gave them the chance to find out. Elijah was so bothered by Klaus's obsession with his new toy that he acted prematurely and killed the young woman, not assuming for some reason she was infected with the other Mikaelson boy's blood. K was a total and complete accident.

Looking back though -now having the memories to do so- K realized how justified Elijah's worry was. Klaus never half heartedly did anything. If it was worth his consideration in any regard, it was worth everything else. When K began to dominate his attention and his possessiveness of her grew, he became unpredictable. K remembered one time when she'd been in the market buying groceries for dinner because appearances had to be kept up and the servants were human.

When K was purchasing some greens, someone grabbed her. She didn't remember much of the incident because it happened so quickly. Klaus never let her leave the house without his permission and soon took to following her. Elijah took to following Klaus, so the pair was a few yards away and saw what happened. Klaus reacted quickly and violently. He shoved the would-be thief into the stone wall of a building, dazing him. The hybrid soon grabbed the man; his face twisted into his natural vampire form, and began bouncing the thief's head off the wall until there was nothing left to bounce. He did it in full view of half the village.

They left quickly after that, not just the market, but the city as well. It wasn't too long after that incident Elijah decided to act. He couldn't allow Klaus to behave the way he was, not with Mikael following so closely. So again, K began to understand why Elijah thought she had to die. It didn't mean she liked it, but she got it.

Silence began to flood the barn the vampires were caught in. They were left with doing nothing more than to wait and possibly die. That didn't seem to be what Fate had in mind however.

K and Rebekah listened as Stefan and Elena poured their hearts to one another. It was heartbreaking. It was obvious the two of them really loved each other and both Rebekah and K felt jealous at seeing it. While Rebekah had cared for many and probably loved them too, she was never allowed to keep those relationships. K, on the other hand, had never really cared about anyone through the centuries. She never found someone that sparked that part of her and it never helped her social life always being bound to the Bennett family. In truth, the only man she'd ever really cared for in the slightest was Klaus. The thought was bothersome for more than a couple of reasons, the most recent being his complete disregard for her safety.

K began to sink deeper into her selfish thoughts while Rebekah did something progressive and helped kill one of their guards, essentially saving Elena's life. Not long after they were granted their freedom. Rebekah vanished immediately, ready to fight her brother for what he'd done and K wasn't far behind. She had her own words to share with the arrogant Original. Part of her wanted to stay and spout something at the ones that had tried to kill her, but another part of her didn't care. There were more important things on her mind and the trio wasn't worth the breath she'd waste.

~~~!~~~

K charged through the door to the mansion, hoping to see the son of a bitch, but he was gone. The only thing to greet her was Rebekah lying on the floor between a few busted blood bags. The stench was Elena's so she knew what had to have happened. Judging by the 'dead' Original and the puddles of red, it was evident Klaus lost his temper because Rebekah broke the blood bags. With Elena newly turned there was no other way to create his precious little hybrids. It figured he'd take it personally.

Feeling sorry for the blond, K lifted her into her arms and moved her to the couch in the adjacent living room. It couldn't be long until she awoke and K was right. In the middle of pouring a drink, Rebekah shot awake, breathing deep as she roused from the false death. K glanced over her shoulder, saw tears welling immediately in the young woman's eyes and knew she was about to cry again. She poured a bit more scotch into the glass before turning and offering it to the blond.

"I take it things didn't go over well with your brother." K said softly, her voice void of derision.

"Why are you here?" Rebekah asked in a shaky voice, avoiding both K's question and her eyes.

"I was hoping for a bit of the fight, but it looks like I was late. Here."

Rebekah took the glass, but didn't drink. She was having trouble fathoming the amount of betrayal she felt. She felt disgusting. She felt alone. Minutes of silence continued before Rebekah spoke despite herself.

"He's abandoned me." She finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. Slowly, she met K's eyes. "I'm nothing to him now."

K could see the pain in the young woman's face and it broke her heart. Rebekah was strong and now she looked like a little girl. She looked so vulnerable it was a shocking enough scene K couldn't be mean about it. In the end, she felt the same when it came to Klaus now. He'd rather save his new toy than the two who'd known him the longest. It was enough to make them feel worthless. And after she'd thanked and praised him for doing it before… ass.

K found herself sitting beside Rebekah and staring at the beautiful marble floor. Her eyes burned and she knew she was near tears. In her vast and vivid imagination, K never assumed anything like this would happen. It didn't even rank in her top one hundred scenarios. Not only was she crying for Klaus _again_, but she was actually shocked he hadn't helped her, insulted by it in fact.

"I'm leaving day after tomorrow." K said finally after a lot of thought. She slowly turned to face the blond. "You're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Rebekah's brows came together.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, curious as to why K was being even the slightest bit polite.

"Because of all the people in this world, you're perhaps the only one that feels even remotely similar to myself." She replied honestly. "And I trust you."

"Well that's bloody stupid."

"Perhaps." K smiled. "But if you ever wanted to kill me, you'd come for my throat, not stab me in the back."

Rebekah found herself smiling and nodded. It was true. She'd rather go straight for the young woman than go behind her back. If anything, the amount of lies and betrayal her brothers went through seemed far too tiring. She'd rather go for the throat straight away.

"Fair to say." Rebekah smiled. "But I'm not willing to go. Not just yet. I have some unfinished business here in Mystic Falls I'd like to attend to."

"You're going to make someone miserable, aren't you?" K asked with a vindictive smile tugging at her lips.

Rebekah grinned, a brow rising at the curious behavior.

"That is the plan." The blond smiled. "I rather dislike the Salvatore boys and their little girlfriend."

"Well, not that I advocate torturing or killing, but have fun. I'm still leaving. I can't be here. There's just too much I need to get away from." She said before a smile touched her lips. "This place is unhealthy."

Rebekah smiled and nodded. K stood and turned to the blonde.

"Best of luck." She said with a genuine tone.

Rebekah said nothing, but raised her glass to the young woman. And with that, K left to say her farewells to everyone. And she meant everyone.

~~~!~~~


	19. Chapter 19

**Awesome. You just are just plain awesome. Thank you and Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

K had spent the previous two days saying goodbye to her friends, or the people she liked better than most, and getting her things ready to leave. She only had one person left and she meant it when she said she planned on saying goodbye to everyone.

She knocked on the door and heard the footsteps within before Tyler answered. He looked a bit surprised and confused to see her and rightfully so. Of everyone, Tyler was probably the one she knew the least. He was always a bit of an ass before she left Mystic Falls the first time and since returning she'd been so consumed in everything else, she never really spoke to him.

"Kalli, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I need to speak with Klaus." She replied simply.

Tyler's brows rose high on his forehead. That hadn't been what he expected to hear.

"Seriously? How'd you even know he was here?"

K cocked a brow.

"Yeah," he sighed, realizing someone had probably said something by now. "Now's not really a good time."

"Now's the only time." She said simply, walking passed the man and into the home. She didn't have to wait for an invitation. She'd been invited into the Lockwood home during the Homecoming ordeal.

It didn't take her long before she heard the hybrid speaking to someone else somewhere in the house. K followed the voice, ignoring the smells and sights of the other hybrids lingering around in the background. She could tell a few were still a little jumpy around her. After all, she'd slaughtered quite a few of them last time they met.

K turned into the library/den area to the left of the massive entryway and saw Klaus speaking to a young woman that hadn't been there before. The young vampire drew attention soon enough from both, but her eyes were only on Klaus like he expected them to be. K either didn't notice Hayley or didn't really care. She wasn't certain which emotion it was, only that her anger with Klaus dominated her.

Klaus wanted to speak, but he knew that if K was there, something bad was likely to happen. They were going to fight with each other, and he had to be ready for it.

"I need to talk to you."

Klaus's eyes met hers, his face relatively blank.

"Not now pet. I'm a bit busy at the moment." He said, trying to brush her off.

K wouldn't be refused.

"Now." She snapped sternly.

Without waiting for him to reply, K turned and made her way outside. Klaus growled to himself before following after her, much to Tyler and Hayley's shock. The two shared the odd look, amazed the man had done something someone else asked, and not even asked. K demanded it.

Klaus walked through the house and out the backdoor to find K standing in the green grass looking out into the distance. When he touched the concrete back lay, K turned to watch him. Klaus kept his face blank like she did as he approached.

K stood across from the hybrid, eying him as though nothing had happened, as though she hadn't cried for him for what felt like an eternity and he hadn't left her to die. It was a lot to come to terms with and K wasn't entirely certain she could.

Klaus stared at her in the same silence, though different things were running through his mind. He had questions he wanted answered. K wasn't supposed to be in Mystic Falls. She was supposed to have gone to California and stayed there. The hybrids he sent to follow her had told him so.

"Why are you here Kalli?" he finally asked. "I thought I'd told you to leave this place behind."

"You don't own me anymore Niklaus. You can't tell me what to do, merely suggest things." She answered. "But after the van, I don't see why you bothered telling me to leave at all. It'd seem easier to let the Council kill me, get me out of your hair."

He twitched marginally, but valiantly tried to keep his expression blank.

"You should have stayed gone."

"Why? So you could play with your little Caroline?"

He cocked a brow to her.

"Is that what this is about? You heard of Caroline and came back from jealousy?" he asked cockily.

"I came back because Rebekah asked me to. She told me your _body_ was being held captive." She answered, taking a few steps closer to the man and reluctantly answered, "I was worried."

Klaus hid the surprise he felt at her words. He didn't want to admit he liked hearing she was worried about him. No one he knew every truly said anything like that aloud and even then _no one_ outside his family ever had.

"That changed quickly however, when you left me to die."

"Nothing personal love." He replied as nonchalantly as he could.

"Nothing personal?" she repeated in angry disbelief. She glared at him for repeating the same thing Elena and the Salvatores had told her only a few days prior to justify what they'd done. And to make it worse, he'd been there to hear it. "You are the second person to tell me risking _my_ life isn't personal. There is nothing _more_ personal Niklaus. Ever since my sleep, my brain refuses to be silent. It keeps replaying things, things that happened so long ago it shouldn't matter, but it does. It's all so fresh, so confusing. Part of me kind of hoped it was another lie, that you'd put them there like the other memories, but nothing changed when you died. They were the same which was even worse. And in the passed two days, I've learned two very, _very_ important things."

"And what might those be?"

Despite keeping his voice as even as he could, Klaus felt anything but. There was something unnerving about the way K was acting and he couldn't push passed it. But still she approached, closing the gap between them until she stood little more than a foot away. To his shock, her eyes were glassy. It had been years, centuries, since he'd seen her cry, truly cry, and he was no more prepared for it now than he had been in the past.

"One," she said in a shaking voice. "When you died, when I watched your body burn," she blinked, a tear trailing down each cheek when she had. It broke his heart to see, but he ignored the urge to hug her. "I realized that I loved you, more than I thought I did."

Klaus's mouth parted slightly as he fought the gasp that struggled to break from his lungs. He couldn't help it. It was a natural response to what he was hearing. After finding out she was alive and waking her memories, he wanted nothing more than to hear her say that to him again. But there was more. This wasn't the end of it and he knew it. Clearing his throat and the lump that had formed, he spoke.

"And the other?" he asked, trying to hide the hopeful tone.

"And two," she began, her brows pulling together tightly. "That your complete disregard for my life after all of the things you said, after everything you've ever done for me or even claimed," K paused again, the words catching in her throat. Klaus's brows twitched together briefly. He felt his eyes burn, why he wasn't sure, but the emotion was there and he lamented it. "Means you never really cared about me. You never loved me. But that's okay." She forced herself to lie.

When his brows tensed again they didn't relax, his eyes shifting to a pale pink.

"Kalliope,"

She shook her head, silencing him without a word. K looked sadly into the man's face, hating that she was saying what she was saying, but it was true. Klaus may have _thought_ he loved her, but he didn't. He didn't know the meaning of the word. Part of her wondered why he bothered giving her back her memories in the first place if this was how he planned on treating her, or why he saved her from the Salvatores. Maybe he gave them back to keep torturing her like she originally thought.

K stepped forward, closing the rest of the gap between them. She gently cupped his cheek, her thumb running along his stubble ridden skin softly. Without warning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek.

Klaus had been so unprepared for the action. His eyes were still wide open and saw the young woman leaning into him. He felt the coolness of her lips, the softness of them and didn't react. He wasn't sure what to do.

After a few seconds she pulled away from him, but Klaus didn't let her go too far. He'd found his bearings and gripped her, keeping her just close enough he could press his forehead to hers. He was still holding her gently when he felt K's hands on his. He pulled away from her and noticed she was removing his grip from her body. Her eyes slowly met with his.

"Thank you for everything, my pelastaja."(savior) She said finally. "But I wash my hands of you and this whole place. Goodbye Niklaus, I've nothing else to give."

With a final glance to the man, K turned and walked back into the house. She disappeared soon enough, heading back to wherever, leaving Klaus to stand alone with his thoughts. It hurt, leaving him when she'd finally remembered what it took her a millennia to forget, but he wasn't the same man he was before. He was someone else, someone cold and evil. She cared for Niklaus, not Klaus.

Klaus stood in the center of the backyard, thinking about what had transpired. He thought that was what he wanted, hearing that she loved him. And he did. He did want that, but now what? Now that she'd admitted she cared for him, she left. How could she leave? Didn't she understand why he left her in the van? He didn't have time for everyone, he could only save a single soul… and he chose Caroline. He didn't know if he was proud of the thought or regretting it. Now, not only was Rebekah gone, but K too.

K felt better for what she'd done and said to Klaus as she left the Lockwood home. It was something she needed to get rid of. It helped her. It helped her get over whatever the hell the memories he'd given back had done to her. She didn't like not knowing herself, not knowing how she felt or which way was up. This helped with that. Maybe it would be that final step to have her move away from Mystic Falls and the Mikaelsons all at once? She didn't know.

So maybe kissing him wasn't smart. Maybe professing that yes, she did actually care for him gave the hybrid too much power over her, but it did something else too. Her main concern with breaking the hex that he and Elijah had put on her was it brought back the emotions. It brought back everything and forced her to relive her teenage adolescent infatuation with him. After her declaration to Klaus, K actually felt freed by it. She didn't have a secret love or ridiculous hidden desires that someone could use against her in anyway. She went straight to the focus of the feelings, admitted them and walked away.

There was nothing tying her to any of them now. K told Bonnie that she was leaving again, that she loved her and thanked her for everything her ancestors had done for her. She made her peace with the young Bennett witch and even reconnected briefly with Abby. K made sure to apologize for the elder Bennett's misfortune. There was no point saying anything to the Salvatores or Elena so she didn't waste her breath. Jeremy and Tyler weren't really on her list of friends so she didn't say anything to them either. Everyone had been spoken to and dealt with which freed K for the first time ever. She'd said what she needed to and now… now there was nothing tying her to anything.

K got out of the cab in front of her hotel and felt the air shift around her after paying the cabby. When she turned around she spotted Rebekah leaning against the lobby door. She was smiling slyly.

"Hi." K said easily as she put the rest of her cash in her pocket and the taxi drove off.

"I suppose you're really leaving town again?"

K shrugged a single shoulder and approached. She no longer harbored any fear of the blond, not after everything they'd gone through together.

"Was there something you needed or did you just want to wish me farewell?" she teased lightly.

"I've come with a bit of a proposition." She said, the smile turning more wicked.

K cocked a brow at the intriguing concept.

"Help me spread the misery." She beamed. K seemed interested. "While I work on the Salvatores and their little girlfriend, you can have my brother."

K immediately rolled her eyes and scoffed. The fun of the task suddenly fled.

"No thanks. I don't want to be around him at the moment."

"Oh, come now." Rebekah cooed. It was an unnerving sound and caused K to raise a brow. "Part of you wants to. Admit it, it'd be fun. You could actually play dress up for once instead of wearing… that."

K looked down at her garment. There was nothing wrong with it, nothing in the least, but evidently it was too simple for Rebekah's tastes. It was just an ordinary shirt and jeans.

"There's nothing wrong with the way I dress."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. She pushed herself up from the wall and took a few steps towards K.

"As much as he's put you through, why not play a distraction?" she said before a better idea came to mind. "Or," she said slyly. "Let him keep making eyes at that Caroline girl. It doesn't matter to me either way, I just thought you'd enjoy a bit of fun."

K glared at Rebekah. She didn't make any secret that she was trying to make K jealous. The problem was it seemed to be working. K always was a bit prideful and while she had nothing against Caroline necessarily, why couldn't she be the one to finally put Klaus on edge? Why did he get to be the one in control? Rebekah could see the shift in K's mind, the lingering thoughts that were slowly taking over.

"But my plane leaves in two hours." K finally said.

Rebekah shrugged a shoulder as though it were a trivial thing. In truth it really was.

"Stay a week, no more, no less." She said easily.

"You know I'm aware you're manipulating me."

"Is it still manipulation if you know about it?" Rebekah teased. "Come on. Just a week."

"I'll think about it."

Rebekah smiled wide at the prospect of her brother's discomfort and nodded as she walked off. Both young women secretly knew that meant yes.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The council had been blown up and K didn't care one way or another about it. Twelve people blown into nothing, and she was indifferent. K was indifferent to nearly everything and she couldn't help it. While her humanity was still in tact, she was numb to so much. She started wondering why she should care about anything. It all seemed so trivial to her now that she had no ties to anything or anyone. She didn't care what the Salvatores did, what the Gilberts did. She didn't care what the Mikaelsons did either. She just… didn't care.

And honestly, that frightened her.

K never had anything she'd given her entire heart to before. She never had a family like everyone else did or does. She never had any true friends because she never had her own life. Even friendship with the Bennett witches was circumstantial and temporary at best. K was nine hundred and ninety-seven years old –only nineteen of which she actually spent human- and what did she have to show for it? She hadn't amassed wealth, or a bevy of knowledge. She hadn't collected beautiful works of art or experienced the wonderful and terrifying things that happened in history. She didn't have friends or someone that loved her. Nearly a thousand years of living and she'd only managed to _exist._ K took up space, breathed air and nothing more. The only thing she did have to show for it was an ill-fated weird-creppy-not right-love thing with a vampire, who at the time she met him, was already over fifty years old. Not a lot in the "win" column.

She found herself scowling at her drying fingernails. If she wasn't careful, K was going to turn into Klaus. She was going to turn angry and bitter and honestly, she thought it might already have started. How else was she meant to consider what had happened to her since she moved to Mystic Falls? The town was poison, nothing more.

Anger and hurt began to swell inside her the longer K thought about everything that'd happened. It made her want to hurt something, to hunt, but she didn't feel like going alone. K reached for her phone that was resting on the bed beside her and found the number she needed.

_Me: I want to rip something's throat out. Busy?_

She tossed the phone back down and went about putting on another coat of deep royal blue polish on her left hand. Her phone chirped when she reached her ring finger.

_Rebekah: Ideas?_

_Me: Richmond is like forty minutes away. Plenty of clubs with drunk breathers more than willing to buy a couple pretty girls a drink. Interested?_

_Rebekah: Oh I think that might be fun. Haven't been on a decent hunt in months. I'd love to, but you've got to wear something nice. I'm not going to be seen with someone in jeans._

K smiled wryly to herself but rolled her eyes at the message.

_Me: I don't have anything up to your standards here. I'll need to buy something._

_Rebekah: There's nothing open this late in Mystic Falls. Go to my house. There's a dress in my closet you can borrow._

K didn't bother hiding her surprise with the offer. Rebekah… offering to share clothes… really….

_Me: Are you being kind to someone else Rebekah?_

_Rebekah: Don't flatter yourself. It's not as though I paid for it. Besides, I could always kill you if you get anything on it._

That sounded more like the Viking blond which made K more comfortable with the conversation. Too nice was too creepy.

_Me: Fine. What about your brother?_

_Rebekah: You want him to come too?_

_Me: Cute… No, what if he's home?_

_Rebekah: Who cares? Besides, you can grab my necklace for me while you're there._

Again K rolled her eyes. That had to have been the real reason why Rebekah was offering a garment that was at her house, because she wanted something else and didn't want to run into her brother.

_Me: Alright, fine. Give me around twenty minutes to get ready here, then I'll go to his house and pick everything up. I'll let you know when I'm back in my hotel room so you can come by. Deal?_

_Rebekah: Fine. The dress is black sequin cocktail dress. If I remember right, it should be on the far left of my closet._

_Me: And the necklace?_

_Rebekah: Clear crystal tear drop in the jewelry box in the top shelf of my dresser._

_Me: Ok. I'll let you know._

_Rebekah: Don't go through my knickers._

K curled her nose.

_Me: Not interested, sorry._

That was the end of their conversation. After her nails dried, K made her way into the bathroom and did her makeup. She had two styles when she actually wore 'going out' makeup. Either one would have worked, but she decided that –given what they planned to do- simple eyes and blood red lips would probably best disguise the carnage they were going to cause. It was quick, it was easy and she liked it. Besides, she wasn't the kind of person who spent too long on any aspect of herself in that regard. She wasn't one for 'overly beautifying' herself.

Within the twenty minutes she'd told Rebekah it'd take, K was finished with her look. Wearing a relatively nice outfit, she grabbed a tote bag and headed downstairs to her taxi. If she couldn't find anything she liked in Rebekah's K was sure she had a backup or something to put her outfit in if she did.

When she pulled up to the Mikaelson home no one was there. It was nice that she wasn't going to have to deal with Klaus, but made getting in tricky. That was, however, until she noticed an open balcony door. Paying the cabby, K got out and eyed the open door. She shook her head. In a city filled with vampires, why would you leave anything open? Then again, who'd break into Klaus's house?

She made sure the cab driver was gone before scaling the outside columns. It was an easy task and took only seconds before she was upstairs and in Klaus's room from the looks of it. K quickly moved out of it. She didn't want to be in his room for any reason.

Rebekah's room was easy to find, as was her ridiculously large walk in closet. Even if the blond had only half her clothing with her she left behind more than enough to clothe dozens of girls for a week or better. K shook her head disapprovingly at the sight, but had to admit she was a little jealous. There were some nice clothes in there…

~~~!~~~

Klaus came home, heavy and tired. He truly hated so many people and he was surrounded by all of them… He needed a break, but a proper villain's job was never done. He had things he needed to do and people he needed to do them. Then there was Rebekah. She was dancing on his last nerve.

As he poured himself something to drink, Klaus heard someone walking down the stairs in the other room. A smile began to touch his lips and with his smug grin and his new drink, he walked into the entryway to confront the obvious female.

"Well now Rebekah, so good to see you've finally…" Klaus was abruptly silenced when he looked up and noticed Rebekah wasn't the one in his home. K was.

She stood; half descended the steps when he spotted her. She was in the process of putting on an earring –a pair she'd brought with her- and simply stared at him.

"I'm not Rebekah." She said simply.

When her earring was in, she ruffled her hair back into place and continued her trek down the stairs as though she weren't breaking and entering.

"Clearly." He mumbled to himself.

Klaus was having trouble focusing more than he'd ever be willing to admit. He'd simply never seen K wearing anything as provocative as she was.

The dress Rebekah chose for her to wear was indeed black sequin. The glittering material looked like slick black scales, catching every hint of light and reflecting it without seeming overly done. It was a simple dress, sans any additional adornments because they weren't needed. The top of the dress was loosely gathered fabric resting in low hanging swoops over her bust –similar to old Greco inspired garments- while everything beneath clung firmly to her frame. It was short, barely a few inches longer than the curve of her backside leaving her porcelain colored legs well on display all the way to her block heels adorned with silver spikes on the ankle strap.

She walked passed him without so much as a sideways glance to the things she'd set near the front door he hadn't seen. Once she had, he was confronted with the reason _why_ the dress didn't seem to have anything overly special about it. There was no back. As with the loosely hanging fabric in the front, the back mirrored the design but plunged much deeper. Everything was bare from her shoulders to the small over her back. It left nothing to the imagination and while he might have ordinarily liked the look, he quickly realized who was wearing it.

"Why are you here?" he asked after a lengthy session of leering.

K had dipped down and was in the process of gathering her things, along with the necklace she'd retrieved for Rebekah, when he spoke. She grabbed her jacket and stood before looking at him.

"Picking up a few things." She answered simply.

Klaus raised a brow at her calm and carefree behavior. K just stared blankly back at him as she threaded her arms through the coat and pulled it on. The jacket was longer than the dress, a fact Klaus was quick to notice.

"This is my house."

"Yes." She nodded. "I was getting some stuff for Rebekah and she said I could borrow the dress."

He glared openly. He seemed to realize she was indifferent to him rather quickly and he didn't like it.

"You're going out dressed like that?" he asked with a tone that let her know he didn't approve.

"Yes," she sighed, being sure to illustrate how annoying his questions were. "Any other obvious questions?"

Klaus bit the inside of his cheek as she stared at him. He didn't speak, instead taking a long drink of his scotch when a car pulled up. K glanced outside the window and spotted the taxi. She bent down again and gripped her tote back filled with the close she'd arrived in and began towards the door.

"You look like a tart." Klaus said under his breath as K opened the door.

She paused. He knew she'd likely hear him and made no real attempt to hide his irritation. But, to his surprise, she looked at him over her shoulder with a sly smile.

"Good." She replied. "Besides, how else are you supposed to get boys attention?"

Without waiting for an answer and honestly adoring the horrified look reflecting in Klaus's eyes, K left the house and shortly after the property. Klaus was seething for more than one reason. In his silent anger, he tensed his grip on the crystal glass in his hand more than he should have. It shattered, covering the floor in spilled liquor and crystal shards.

This wasn't going to do. No, not at all…

~~~!~~~

The pair that came stumbling out of the club were laughing happily alongside the men they'd found, feigning being drunk and unaware they were being watched. It didn't take them long to find some tasty men to enjoy.

On the trip to Richmond, K had told Rebekah about running into Klaus and his reaction to her wardrobe. Rebekah laughed happily at her brother's discomfort. In her mind, it was about time he felt his composure waver. He was always doing it to everyone else, so why not?

But they didn't know he'd followed them. They didn't know that once Klaus spotted K in her skimpy dress, he was determined not to let her out of his sight for very long. He didn't know what emotion dominated his mind, but he was acting like a dog whose toy was being played with by another lesser canine. The feeling grew when he saw her and Rebekah leaving the club.

Rebekah and K smiled at the stupid jokes the boys were telling them, the comments they made and so forth. They made sure to pick people that wouldn't likely be missed, men that they could take their anger and frustrations out on.

While looking for dinner, the pair spotted their prospective food slipping things into other women's drinks. It didn't take either vampire long to decide that yes, those two would be their victims. Switching the tables was an easy task. All they had to do was play the drunk girl that needed a big strong man to take care of them and voila! They had their escorts out of the club.

As they wove through the cars in the darkened parking lot towards nowhere in particular, Rebekah and K shared a glance. K immediately feigned a stumble and fell into her date. She started giggling, as did Rebekah, at her accidental behavior.

"You okay?" he asked with a chuckle, helping her stand upright.

"New shoes." She slurred before giving him 'the eye'. "But aren't you a nice, strong guy?"

He smiled sinisterly to her and looped his arms around her pulling her close. As though on cue, he dipped down and began to suckle on her neck while Rebekah's date seemed to do the same. They spotted one another over their dates' shoulders. K's smile immediately faded and she rolled her eyes at what was happening. Rebekah silently agreed and with a knowing nod, the two sprung into action.

Each gripped their dates and spun them around, planting them firmly against a car before slicing into their throats. Each man suddenly yelled, pushing uselessly against the vampires' stealing grips. Within seconds even the screams and pleas became weak.

Rebekah and K fed quickly and intensely, calling on every drop of blood both potential rapists carried within their bodies. In less than five minutes the two young women had their meals and stood upright, their faces still twisted into the demonic forms and smiling vindictively. Klaus still watched from the shadows, drawn to the bloodshed and the alluring way K licked the blood from her lips and fingertips.

And as though they'd planned it out, the pair grabbed their dates and began to drag them away from the cars and into the alley way. Together Rebekah and K tossed them into a dumpster and threw a few trash bags onto them to hide the bodies. They started making their way back towards the parking lot as though nothing had happened.

"I hate the twenty-first century." K sighed as she wiped a bit of the blood from the sides of her mouth and sucked it from her fingertips. "Blood is so tainted anymore."

"I know what you mean." Rebekah replied in the same tone as she and K started off down the street towards where they had parked their car. "Ever since the Industrial Revolution, everything's had this odd…"

"Tang?"

"Exactly. Then there's all this ruddy fast food and everything else. Ridiculous."

"Remember back in the day how pure everything was?" K asked with a nostalgic smile Rebekah soon shared. "I mean, if you could get passed the smell from lack of bathing, they just tasted better."

"I know." Rebekah sighed disappointedly. "Imagine what'll happen in the next thousand years."

"They'll kill themselves by then."

Rebekah giggled before she could stop herself and agreed entirely. Still unknown to Rebekah or K, Klaus had been watching and listening to their entire conversation. He stayed close in the shadows until they both got into Rebekah's car and drove off, presumably to Mystic Falls. He didn't know what made him more uncomfortable, the fact that without trying K made him follow her like a puppy, or that she and Rebekah seemed to be friends, bonding over their contempt for him.

Whatever the reason, he soon left and made his way home as well.


	21. Chapter 21

**HA! I love those reviews!**

Chapter 21

The following day, K found herself sitting on her bed reading in her hotel room with little to nothing to do. While she'd had fun with Rebekah the night before –something she never thought she'd say- she was out of things to do and honestly, she was a little hungry. The guy the night before wasn't as substantial a meal as she'd hoped he would have been. It was honestly a bit annoying considering she'd drained nearly everything out of him.

With an irritated sigh, Kalli pushed herself up from the bed and decided to put something on. She was going to go out and grab a bite –so to speak- and pray it was more filling than the stranger.

~~~!~~~

The Mystic Grill:

K walked leisurely through the bar, her fingers dancing along the wooden surfaces of tables and chairs she passed, feeling every molecule within the solid structure vibrate with life when she did. It echoed through her body. Everything felt so wonderful for no reason, but the burn remained as well, the thirst for something that she needed to slate. Sometimes she forgot just how incredible being a vampire was.

Reaching the bar, K took a seat with empty chairs on either side. She looked to the man behind the slick wooden surface who stopped, waiting for her to order the two shots of scotch she desired. He looked at her a bit stunned, knowing it was barely eleven o'clock in the morning and the young woman was ordering nearly a decent amount of alcohol. K did little more than cock an expecting brow, waving her hand at the man as though dismissing him to retrieve her drink. She was a bit short, but considering how many people in the city drank on regular basis, his lack of response to her order was a little stupid.

The bartender reluctantly did as he was told, pulling out the shot glasses and setting them along the surface of the bar. Taking a bottle of scotch, he poured each one of them to the rim and stepped back to let the alcoholic drink her beverages. K rolled her eyes at the judgment she smelled coming from him. If only he knew the alternative, perhaps he wouldn't think so low of her. Then again, if she blinked her eyes, his life would be over and hers would keep going as though time had forgotten her.

K drank one burning shot after another, reveling in the sweet flavor and enjoying it as it slid down her throat. The shots disappeared quickly but the sensation they left behind was wonderful. She enjoyed it for a moment, but only a moment. A bottle may be the better option, but something else crossed her mind. She waved the bartender down who approached, eying the empty glasses before meeting her gaze.

She smiled seductively to the man, leaning up onto her arms crossed over the bar's surface. She bit her bottom lip gently before focusing on what she wanted him to do.

"Two minutes after I disappear, you're going to meet me in the men's room. Do we have an understanding?"

He nodded slowly.

"Splendid."

K leapt effortlessly from the stool and paid for her drinks before stepping into the back. She walked into the men's room and stood behind the door to await her lunch. Sure enough, two minutes after she'd walked through the doorway, it opened. She was giddy with the prospect of fresh blood when the weighted door swung back and closed. The man standing there wasn't the one she'd expected to see. Her smile immediately faded and a sigh left her lips, drawing his attention to her. Klaus grinned arrogantly.

"Something tells me I'm not the one you expected to see." He said calmly, his hands moving into his pockets.

"I'm waiting for lunch. Would you mind leaving?"

"Oh, take-out isn't coming." He chimed. Her mouth went slack, aggravation evident. "I sent the lad back to work. No need to risk you losing your control."

K glared at him. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Klaus and didn't feel like she had to. After all, she made it fairly clear she was done with him, even saying the words.

She walked around the man to the door and gripped the handle. She barely managed to open it a few inches before Klaus pressed against the wooden slab and closed it. K languidly moved her eyes to him, her glare deepening.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to find something to eat."

"Didn't get your fill last night?"

She narrowed her eyes curiously. While her conversation with him the night before may have given the impression she planned to eat, his statement made her think otherwise. Combining that with the fact he had followed her into the bathroom and his past history with her, K began thinking Klaus might have followed her and Rebekah.

He felt her mind working to find the truth. He could see it in her eyes and began to shift, preparing himself for whatever she was going to say. To his surprise she simply laughed –derisively- and shook her head. Without saying another word on the matter and a light shake of the head, K moved to walk around him again.

"Goodbye Niklaus." She said simply.

"I'm not finished talking to you."

He was wrong of course, she had nothing left to say to him, but he was right about something else. Like before when she opened the door, he closed it. K turned an angry stare to him.

"I don't have anything else to say to you. What part of _I wash my hands of you_ doesn't seem to be making it through that thick skull of yours."

She showed him no fear and he didn't like it. Klaus had grown accustomed to and liked the fear he garnered from others. K didn't feel like giving it to him. She didn't think she had to anymore. Again, she'd said her piece and washed her hands of Klaus. That meant he had no control over her anymore. He couldn't tell her what to do. But while she seemed more than willing to put an end to whatever it was they had, Klaus wasn't.

"You should watch your tone with me, child."

"Or what?" she dared. She didn't fear death from him anymore. While Klaus didn't seem willing to save her life anymore, she didn't think he was willing to take it either. Besides, she was still a little angry about him leaving her to die by the council's hands. "Why are you even wasting your time with me, huh? Just go. Don't you have more important things to do than follow me around?"

He glowered angrily to her brazen words. They hurt his pride and with that he lashed out.

"You still belong to me girl and you will until I say otherwise." He grabbed her wrist and held it firmly.

She could see the darkness looking back at her, but it wasn't fear she felt. It was anger. All she kept thinking was _how dare he, after everything, how dare he_ while Klaus was simply angry about her not only letting some random man touch her, but her disregard for his threats no matter how idol. It didn't help she seemed to be repeating things Caroline had said to him before.

"You're mine." He growled. "I own you."

That was the wrong thing to say. The anger she felt turned into full blown rage. If she were anyone else, K wouldn't have dared doing what she was about to. She attacked him, grabbing the neckline of his shirt and slamming him into the tiled wall across the other end of the bathroom, the furthest spot from the door.

K held him up, his feet about ten inches from touching the ground. She growled up to him, her eyes shifting dark and her fangs bared. She wasn't happy and she didn't care who could see it.

"I belong to _no one_, let alone you." She growled. "I am through with you Niklaus, do you hear me?"

Klaus stared down at the young woman with indifference. It added fuel to her ire, hating that he didn't seem to care how he made her feel.

"Do you realize that with anyone else, they'd be dead by now for touching me this way?" he asked, an obvious edge to his voice.

"What's the matter, losing your nerve?" she taunted darkly.

He glowered at her and decided to shift their position. He moved quickly, taking K and throwing her against the wall, holding her the same way she had him. She grunted when her back slammed into the tiles, this time cracking and breaking beneath her form. She glared hatefully down at the man with her face still angry and evil.

"Let go of me." She growled.

"No." he answered simply. "You and I have things to discuss."

"I've nothing left to say to you. I thought I'd made myself clear in that regard."

"I'm not in the habit of taking anyone's command. Or have you forgotten?"

"Release me." She hissed.

Klaus shook his head slowly, his face stern. He could see she was not merely frustrated with him, but with everything. He decided to add to it. Again Klaus didn't know if it was because she'd insulted his pride or why, but he felt the need to return the favor.

"So angry," he taunted. "And only the other day you were professing your love for me. Isn't it funny how women change their minds so easily?" Her glare deepened like he expected it to. "Or, is the problem that you _haven't_ changed your mind?" when her jaw tensed he knew he was on the right track. "That's it isn't it? What's the matter darling, been missing times passed?"

"Let me go." She growled through clenched teeth.

"I don't think so pet." He sighed, eying her with a victorious smile. "I'm only having a bit of fun."

Her eyes narrowed on the man and the weak struggling stopping as she stared down at him.

"My turn." She said softly.

Without warning and faster than Klaus honestly thought she was, K shoved herself against the wall and pushed off. The two landed on the ground hard, cracking more tiles than before. Klaus growled when he hit the ground with K on top of him. She gripped his collar tightly and reared back. Her face was dark again, eyes glowing yellow before she did something Klaus hadn't expected. She lurched forward and sank her teeth into his throat.

Klaus growled loudly when he felt the unfamiliar sensation. No one, not a single soul had ever fed from him or was even capable of biting him. Nothing had ever dared try until her. After all, he was never bitten. A spell turned him in both regards, never this. He was stunned enough by it he couldn't react.

K dug deeply into the man's skin, tasting the blood that came flowing from the wounds she was creating. She gnawed on him, keeping the skin broken to eat her fill. The blood exploded into her mouth, gliding like liquid fire down her throat. She was hungry, starving and Klaus's taunting wasn't helping anything. She released all of her anger at him, her resentment and rage at his taunting. It was her turn to hurt him, her turn to let him know how it felt having a hungry monster chew on you like a treat.

She held tightly to the Original Hybrid, her fingers entwined in his short locks, the other hand securing his right arm in place just incase he wished to push her off. Klaus' grip held firmly to her waist, his fingertips digging into her jacket covered flesh, but other than wince from the contact and groaning back the pain, he didn't move. K hadn't noticed, more dedicated to drinking her fill before he pushed her away than realizing minute after minute ticked by without movement.

It was an odd sensation to say the least. Klaus had fed others his blood before, a few people actually like those he turned and those he saved, but this was entirely different. There was something inherently different about being fed from out of hunger.

The bites tingled in his gut, sending his nerves on end as she sucked and bit into his skin. The vein gave her everything she wanted easily enough, but he would heal so quickly she had no choice but to repeatedly open the wounds. His fingertips tensed with each chomp but relaxed when she suckled. It was an intriguing sensation, one that kept him hungry himself and wanting more.

The frantic need to feed was dwindling, but not the hunger. K kept drinking from him, but her grip loosened greatly, becoming little more than cradling the man beneath her, still straddling him between her knees. Klaus's breathing had turned shallow, his eyes drifting shut as the curious tingle spread through his body, starting at her teeth and ending in his toes and fingertips.

He'd heard about the sensations 'blood sharing' had created in the people willing to do it, but never experienced it himself. He never wanted to. There wasn't a soul he deemed worth feeding his blood to that didn't in turn serve some kind of purpose in the end. K had to reluctantly admit to herself she felt the same emotions running through her body, the tingle, the fluttering like she was a teenager in love, and was nearly panting because of it.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity and not willing to succumb to any further lust she felt growing between them, K released her grip on Klaus's throat. She sat up quickly, breathing deep as though she'd been holding it for hours. Her hair sailed back over her head landing softly on her back as she faced the ceiling. Her eyes were closed, her chest heaving as she panted. The blood burned her throat, her tongue and her stomach. It trickled down her chin from her lips, slowly moving down her throat the longer her head remained back.

K ran her fingers through her hair, relishing in the feelings coursing through her body. Even something as simple as her fingernails touching her scalp resonated with her. When her grip reached her shoulders -K resting her hands there- she looked down at the man between her knees.

Klaus's grip had shifted to her hips when she raised, his eyes half open at best. He looked lazily at her through nearly black eyes, staring unblinking at the woman staring at him. The young man saw the blood dripping slowly from her chin, the droplets falling onto his black jacket and disappearing from view. It was alluring seeing his blood touching her face before her expression shifted to normal.

K seemed to realize the same thing almost as quickly. From the endorphin rich blood coursing through her to the lustful look in what she was sure was both their eyes, K knew she had to put an end to the situation quickly. It was dangerous territory with an even more dangerous individual. No.

Moving slower than she should have, K placed her hands against the man's chest and pushed herself up. Klaus noted she didn't do it quickly, drugged by his blood flowing through her. K tried to ignore the hybrid on the tile floor staring at her as she walked to the sink and turned on the water. She rinsed the residual blood from her lips relatively quickly, wiping her skin dry by the time Klaus stood. K looked at him through the mirror, not willing to turn around. He looked passed her after meeting her eyes for a moment to his reflection, turning his head to the side to see the damage done.

"A bit overzealous don't you think?" he asked, his voice devoid of really any tone.

K didn't reply, keeping her eyes on the man as she wiped the trail of blood from her throat that had dripped when she was finished. When the blood was gone, she tossed the soiled paper towel into the trash and moved to leave.

Klaus's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around quickly and pressing her against the sink she'd just been using. K stared at him as blankly as she could despite the feelings running through her.

"Not so fast." He whispered softly, his eyes moving along her features. "Turn about is fair play darling."

Her brows came together slowly. She knew what he wanted and she wasn't certain she was willing to give it to him. As though sensing her apprehension, Klaus shifted and bit into her skin before she could stop him.

K gasped loudly from the sensation, her arms instinctively moving around his neck and holding him to her. It was truly habit at that point when someone fed from her. Then again, he was the only one to do so aside from Finn, and that hadn't been intentional. Klaus smiled to himself, gripping K's backside and lifting her onto the sink before his grip shifted again. Like K had, one hand laced into her hair cradling it tightly while the other held her lower back to him.

Every time he reopened the wound, K would gasp again. She couldn't help it. The sensation was bringing every old feeling back in startling detail. She knew what always followed his feeding and part of her ached for it. The other half of her mind, the rational side, knew this was the worst thing that could happen. She wanted distance between them, to finally leave Klaus behind, but this wasn't helping things. This was making them so much worse.

Her legs wrapped around the man's hips instinctively, Klaus's hand leaving her back and holding her thigh as he continued to drink. He felt the memories come back as well, the feelings and sensations her blood brought back from all those centuries ago. Minutes ticked by and K felt herself becoming lost in the situation, something she couldn't do.

"Wait," she breathed, turning her head into Klaus to dislodge his teeth. He seemed to reluctantly do just that, though his forehead rested against her cheek. He was drunk with her blood, the same she had been with his. "I can't do this."

He watched as she pushed herself away from the mirror, slipping between his body and the sink and disappeared through the door. She was gone before it closed leaving Klaus to himself. He leaned against the sink, palms resting against the cold porcelain when his eyes caught his reflection. There was blood everywhere, on his lips, his chin and throat. He wasn't certain what happened, but enjoyed it while it lasted.

Making quick work of the blood left behind, Klaus cleaned himself and left the bathroom, willing to have another drink or two before heading back to Lockwood Manor.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Season 4 ep. 4

A few uneventful nights passed and K found herself relishing in them. She had the chance to read, to catch up on the celebrity gossip she couldn't care less about and just be human. She hated it. In her attempts to hide from Klaus, to try and avoid being around the one she'd been far too intimate with in the Grill, she had turned into a lazy human. But she only had a couple nights left. K only had two nights before her flight and this time she would be on it. _This_ time she was going to leave Mystic Falls in the rear view and nothing was going to bring her back.

K fell back into her pillows and eyed the ceiling. She was lying to herself, she knew it and she didn't know why she bothered. Klaus had infected her again. In a moment of weakness, K let herself slip back into the way things used to be, into the adoration she felt for him and the familiarity it brought out. Despite knowing how awful he was, she let herself give a damn about him. It was infuriating and disgusting at the same time. K had to simply realize Klaus might never be out of her system, at least not any time soon.

The sun had set by the time K realized she had been thinking about Klaus for more than a couple of hours. Again, he'd infected everything about her and she hated him for it. But, there was one thing that she wanted, one thing she'd like to take from him.

K rolled her head to the side and spotted her phone. She grabbed it and wrote out a text to send.

_Me: There's something I want from Klaus's house. Can I have it?_

_Rebekah: Why would I care? Burn the whole bloody thing down._

K rolled her eyes.

_Me: There's a drawing he did and I want it. Would you tell on me if I took it?_

_Rebekah: No. Again, why would I care?_

_Rebekah: I'm here now with Salvatore and Nik. Just come and get it._

K paused when she read Rebekah's second message. She didn't want to see him, not again. The thought made her skin crawl and what's worse, K didn't know if it was a good feeling or a bad one.

_Me: I don't want to see him._

_Rebekah: When does anyone? Just ignore him. Nothing pisses him off more anyway._

She thought about the offer for a moment. While K was saturated with thoughts of Klaus, she didn't have to let on. She could always lie and pretend to be more in control and indifferent than she felt. She'd gotten better at lying through the centuries, so why not? What made him so damn special? Nothing.

_Me: Fine. I'll be there in a little while._

~~~!~~~

"Cheers to my sister," Klaus sarcastically saluted, holding his empty glass up high while Rebekah glared at him angrily. "And her horrible taste in men.

"Of the two of us," K said, suddenly emerging in the entryway to the room. "I'd say Rebekah has rather decent taste in men. Better than mine at least."

"K love," Klaus sighed, turning around and seeing the young woman standing there. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It was obvious he wasn't happy about her being there and honestly neither was K. She was here for only one reason. While ordinarily he would have been completely content flustering her and teasing, he didn't have the time. He had more pressing things to worry about.

"I invited her." Rebekah replied.

Klaus shifted, eying his sister suspiciously. Rebekah cocked a defiant brow to the elder vampire hybrid while K walked into the room. She stood beside the blond, both of them staring at the young man. His eyes darted from one to the other.

"Since when have the two of you become so friendly, hm?" he asked, angry from the looks of it. He knew the answer, or at least partially, but he felt the need to pretend to be ignorant of it. K was already noticing his stalking behavior and he had to pretend it never happened.

"We've come to an arrangement of sorts." Rebekah answered before taking her seat. "Please Nik, do continue."

Still seething, his eyes shifted to K. He had too many things on his plate at the moment and she wasn't helping things. If anything, whether she knew it or not, K distracted him as much as he did her. It was a vicious cycle.

"K darling, would you mind? This is a bit of a private conversation." Klaus told her through tense jaw.

"Is it now?" she asked in the same airy disregard. Since starting off indifferent, K found strength to continue with it. It made lying easier. "I hadn't known. Please, return to speaking about the Five. I'm certain there's little else you know to relay anyhow." She looked to Rebekah. "Where is it?"

"In there." She said, pointing to the other room where Klaus's art rested.

K nodded and turned to retrieve what she'd come to the house to get.

K barely made it through the large archway when someone spoke to stop her.

"You know what the Five are?" Stefan asked, much to Klaus's irritation. He didn't care.

K spun slowly on her heel to face the man coming up behind her. She leaned forward to 'whisper' sarcastically to him.

"What family do you think was the one who gave them their power?"

"A Bennett." Stefan replied loftily, knowing the history between K and Bonnie's family.

The young woman smiled sarcastically and tapped the tip of her nose, letting him know he'd guessed correctly. Without another word, she stepped into the darkened room, letting the others simmer in the information she'd given them. It didn't take her long to find the sketch she wanted, even spotting a few new ones of her in the process. She did her best to ignore the flattering feeling.

Rolling the parchment so it wouldn't be damaged, K made her way back out of the room. Klaus was glowering at her, wanting to tell her she couldn't take any of his pieces, but a bigger part of him just wanted her to leave.

"Good evening gentlemen and lady." She said, bowing sarcastically before turning again.

"K, wait." Stefan chimed, following after her again.

"For the love of God, let the woman go." Klaus sighed, his aggravation growing. "She's got nothing important to say."

Stefan's brows came together curiously on the man before looking to K. He didn't know what had happened between them a few days prior, no one did, and he didn't know Klaus was as conflicted by it as the young woman. He didn't know Klaus lamented the fact he'd been so close to getting what he wanted only to have it pushed out of his grip and he didn't know that the longer Klaus and K were in the same room the closer they came to a violent fight. It was simply how things were. The pair didn't know how to deal with real feelings, so they let them turn into anger.

"He doesn't know, does he?" he asked as quietly as he could.

That seemed to perk Klaus's attention enough for him to turn in his seat and eye the two suspiciously.

"Of course not." K said simply. "Niklaus is only ever concerned with himself. Do you really think he asked me anything about the last thousand years?"

Stefan's eyes darted to the hybrid and back to K before he spoke again.

"Did you…" he paused, wondering if he should ask at all.

"See the ritual preformed?" K offered, Stefan nodding slowly. "No, but I know a bit about it." She lied.

Well, it was a partial lie. K knew the spell was preformed, but that was the extent of it. The Bennett line was filled with cousins and the like who could do magic. K was charged with protecting the direct line of descendents from the witch she'd saved and who saved her, not the others. And who in their right mind would tell a vampire about a spell they preformed to create super hunters? If anything the hunters might turn on the Bennett's guard dog and maybe even the witch herself for being a 'sympathizer'.

"What?" Klaus snapped, shoving his seat back and approaching the young woman. "How?" he demanded shortly.

"Unlike you, I haven't spent the last thousand years running from daddy and trying to break a curse mommy put on me. I helped others."

She was being cold and everyone noticed it. Stefan didn't understand the sudden shift, Rebekah was a bit proud of it and Klaus tried to ignore it, only shoot back his own sharp-tongued comments.

"Fat lot of good that did you in the end, did it?" he snapped angrily.

K scoffed, a disbelieving laugh touching her lips. They were acting like children, like they were in a playground and Klaus was tugging on K's pigtails. It was ridiculous.

"Tell me something Niklaus, does it hurt?"

"What?" he asked unsurely.

"The never ending animosity, hatred and paranoia you seem to surround yourself in. Does it hurt knowing that all of the pain and problems that land on your head are because of the things _you've_ done, or do you simply ignore it now?" she asked, her eyes trained intently on the man who fidgeted under her intense gaze. "How lonely it must be, knowing you've chased off and betrayed every last soul in this world who's ever given a damn about you, making them hate you in the end."

A curt, angry smile touched his lips briefly. He saw it, in that moment he saw what she was trying to do. Klaus had probed into her mind –albeit briefly- and saw the truth behind her attitude shift. It gave him the wherewithal to change tactics. If she wanted to act like she was better than him, he'd remind her of the true order.

"That wasn't the tune you were singing the other day in the men's room at the pub."

She was disarmed, but only temporarily before finding her footing again. She wasn't willing to let Klaus have the last word or the advantage.

"I love you Niklaus, I've already told you that." She said, much to the shock of everyone in the room including the one she was speaking to. He hadn't expected her to admit it aloud. "And I probably always will, but I love who you used to be. This," she waved her hand a bit to show her encompassment of his whole body. "I don't even recognize it. Whatever you've become is so far from the man you used to be, it's staggering. Running people off before they have the chance to leave you, creating an army of loyal dogs, it's no way to spend eternity. I truly pity you."

K was finished, willing to leave the conversation where it was when she stepped around a partially stunned Klaus. He seemed to snap to when she was nearly out of sight and grabbed her arm tightly. K spun to see the man staring at her, shaking with anger.

"Don't you _dare_ pity me." He hissed. "You'd have died in the street if I hadn't saved you."

K wrenched her arm from his grip and stood firm against his irate gaze.

"And?" she asked as calmly as she could. "Am I supposed to be grateful?"

"You're supposed to show me respect."

"For what?" she snapped, losing her patience now that he thought she owed him something. "Because in the end you let your brother kill me and turn me into this?"

"I had no idea Elijah,"

"Yes you did." She interrupted. She had something to say and she planned to say it all. "For years he told you to let me go, that it wouldn't end well, but you were too stubborn and greedy to listen."

Klaus was losing his composure -what little he had with her- at bringing up their past together. Little angered him more than those memories. His jaw was still tight, his body shaking and the others in the room were wondering if he was going to explode from the pressure building. But they had disappeared to the pair, neither of them remembering they had an audience.

"It wasn't his decision to make."

"He was right." She snapped, K becoming just as angry.

"He was jealous." He hissed.

"You should have let me go sooner. Then I wouldn't have died!" She yelled at the man.

"I couldn't!" he shot back just as loud.

"You didn't want to because I was a toy!"

"That's not why."

"Yes it is." She growled through clenched teeth.

Klaus stared at her warningly, shaking his head from side to side while his fists clenched angrily.

"Liar!" she yelled.

"No." he breathed, the word barely escaping his lips, still he shook his head.

"Then tell me."

He didn't reply.

"Tell me!" she demanded angrily.

"Because I love you!" he finally bellowed.

The room fell silent for a moment, no one sure what to say by the man's declaration. It hadn't been anything anyone had expected to hear, including K. She tried to hide her surprise and did, valiantly.

"What?"

K wasn't sure how the word managed to make it through her lips, but it had. Klaus scoffed and looked away briefly before hardening his gaze and shifting an angry a stare as he could muster.

"_I loved you._" he mumbled defeated in her native language, one no one else in the room understood save the person he was talking to.

There was silence again. K chewed on the inside of her cheek and tried to keep her eyes from tearing, but it was becoming increasingly difficult while she looked at him.

"Passed tense." K finally said.

She didn't speak again, this time walking by the man and leaving the home entirely. Klaus's eyes fell to the floor as he tried to come to terms with what he'd said out loud for the world to hear. He hesitated to even meet the others' eyes for obvious reasons. When he finally he had, he managed to plaster uncaring onto his features, but he fooled no one. Still, they were wise enough not to say anything.

"Now then," he said in his normal airy voice. "Where were we?"

~~~~!~~~~

"Go ahead, laugh at the girl who loved too easily." Rebekah said with tears in her eyes as she stared at her brother. "But I would rather have lived my life than yours Nik. No one will ever sit around a table telling stories of a man who couldn't love." Klaus's eyes were tinting pink and she knew tears were nearing. "Kalli's right about you." His gaze shot to hers. "You're nothing more than greedy. You can't love anyone. It's impossible for you isn't it?" he didn't reply and she knew she was right. "Then do it. Look me in the eyes and do it you coward." Niklaus didn't react, still thinking that perhaps she wouldn't force his hand. Instead she lunged for the man. "Do it!"

When she moved forward, Klaus dug the dagger deep within her heart. A tear escaped his eye at the feeling of the tip sliding into the woman's body again. He'd lost count of how often he'd been forced to put her to sleep.

Rebekah gasped for breath, the same sickly pale grey touching her skin as she slipped deeper and deeper into her forced death before going limp. Klaus hesitated to move for a moment before lifting her into his arms and moving her to the couch. He covered the evidence of what he'd done quickly before turning to Stefan and telling him what they had to do. Stefan nodded his understanding as Klaus turned to leave.

"Oh," he chimed, turning as he opened the front door. "I'd be sure to keep Kalli from finding out about this if I were you." He said, pointing to the 'dead' woman on the couch. "If she and Rebekah truly have come to trust one another, there's no telling what that woman'll do to return Rebekah. And given the little stunt you and your brother pulled, I can't guarantee she'll be gentle about it either. Hell hath no fury and all that."

"Doesn't that mean you should watch out too?" Stefan asked with a cocked brow when Klaus attempted to leave again.

Klaus paused before looking to the vampire behind him again, his expression stern.

"Even if K could kill me, she won't." he said, as though it would make himself feel better for uttering it. "But regardless, I'm not the only one on her list."

And with that he left to tend to things he had no choice but to deal with personally. He needed that sword.

He did however think about K and Rebekah on the way to the airport. He didn't like that either of them were dominating his thoughts when he had so much else on his plate, but neither would be refused. They were right about him in the end, about him never being able to give his heart to anyone, but he refused to let them know that. He couldn't, not if it meant he could save his sanity. There were other things in the world to worry about, to do than try and _love_ someone. Useless emotion in the end.

Klaus was lying to himself and while he might not have been as aware of him doing it as K was when she lied to herself, he was lying none-the-less.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Season 4 ep. 5

K still reeled about the talk she'd had with Klaus at his house. She didn't like it. She didn't like that it was still on her mind and she didn't like that he told her he'd loved her. Where was the anger? Where was the rage and psychotic need to torture and maim? That K could deal with. That was the stuff she could handle, not the random torrent of caring emotions.

Part of her was honestly considering asking Bonnie to erase her memories again. She didn't like the confusion that followed her awake or asleep.

Deciding that being cooped up in her hotel room was a bad idea and not helping anything, K went for a walk. She didn't have anywhere in particular to go, but that changed quickly. The Grill was under siege and interesting things were happening without her. That wouldn't do.

It didn't take long for K to find herself chasing Connor through the tunnels beneath the city. Intrigue and scandal was rife in the air and when she heard how important the Hunter was, well how was she expected to pass that up? She just _had_ to meet him.

Soon K stood in the cave with her arms around Connor's neck. She glared at Stefan and Damon, the two men helping Elena to her feet while they looked at her. She had come upon Elena feeding on the man, wanting nothing more than kill him, but K wanted to do it. She wanted to murder a man Klaus, Elena and the brothers wanted, _needed_ and all out of spite. Again, she didn't like that Klaus seemed to hold sway over her in any regard and the space he took up in her thoughts was too much. That, and well, the combined betrayal of everyone who wanted Connor alive was more than enough for her to justify what she planned to do. Why did it always have to be about them? Why should everything they want and need always fall into their laps? What would happen if there was a hiccup in their plans? K=hiccup.

"Kalli don't." Damon told her sternly. "We need him alive."

"Do you?" she asked darkly, her face already shifting. "Does that mean Klaus does too?"

"K," Stefan said evenly, trying to approach the dangerous young woman. "Please. You don't know what you're doing. I know you want to get back at Klaus for _whatever_ the hell it is the two of you have going on, but don't. Not like this."

"Really, Stefan? And you three would have nothing to contribute to my unstable state of mind would you?" She asked sarcastically and cocked a brow. "Please, continue trying to appeal to my better side."

"Please," Damon asked, his eyes softening with something that looked like desperation. "You don't have to do this."

"I am tired of doing things for everyone else." She replied angrily, her expression pained. "Everything I've ever done for someone else has nearly killed me. I'm finished helping you or _him_."

Cold swept through their bodies at the look in her eyes. They had a reason to be afraid.

Without warning, K wrenched the man's neck and sent him spinning. Connor hit the ground with a thud, his head spun around backwards. The shock of seeing the man dead was overwhelming enough to the point K disappeared easily in the confusion.

K raced from the scene, not because she was afraid, but because she didn't want to remain. There was nothing the men could do to her in the end. So it wasn't fear, just disregard to what she'd done. K was actually a bit proud of herself. She'd taken something from Klaus, something he wanted. After his taunting and making her feel for him again and then completely discounting her, K felt like maybe this would be a nice first step in showing him just how much he'd hurt her. Even if it didn't, it'd let him know how much he didn't scare her.

The smile on her face grew wider as she thought about how angry Klaus was going to be when he found out she'd slaughtered his little friend, the one he'd spent so long trying to protect from the others. This would teach him, perhaps.

For the time being, she was going to get something to drink. She was thirsty after all and she might as well enjoy her time without Klaus before he returned. K knew the others wouldn't hesitate to fill the man in on what she'd done. She wasn't frightened of him, but she knew better than to assume he wouldn't take action.

As she walked through the Grill's front door, K noticed there was little no one around. She cocked her brow in mild interest before moving towards the booth in the corner and taking a seat. Her head was beginning to ache for some reason, why she wasn't sure, but the ache was there regardless. K propped her elbows on the table top, pressed her hands to the side of her head and took one slow breath in after another.

Vampires didn't get migraines and yet here it was, the throbbing through the temples you couldn't ebb.

"Hey Kalli,"

The voice caused her to jump. She looked to her side quickly to see Matt standing beside her with his bus boy tub and a cloth over his shoulders. He smiled crookedly at her.

"You alright?"

"Awesome." She lied, letting her head fall into her hand again. "I haven't seen you in a long time. How've you been Matt?"

"You mean since I killed Elena?" he asked heavily, somehow assuming the conversation would divert that direction like it always seemed to.

K raised a lazy brow to the man.

"Did you feed her vampire blood?"

"No." he answered skeptically.

"Did you intentionally run your truck of the road?"

"No." he fidgeted under foot.

"Did you tell Stefan to save you first?"

"No, but if he'd saved Elena…"

K held up her hand to stop the young man from talking.

"Matt, you can't spend all of your time regretting what happened. You're alive. Elena's alive."

"She's a vampire."

"But alive. If Stefan had saved her, you'd have died in the bottom of the river. And for what? Because she brought this shit down on the entire city."

"That's not fair." He defended.

"Name one horrible thing that's happened in Mystic Falls over the passed few years that can't be traced back to Elena, Stefan or Damon. One thing and I'll take it back."

His brows came together in frustration as he tried to think about something he could tie to anyone other than those three.

"Klaus,"

"Is only in Mystic Falls in the first place because of Elena."

His face contorted further. He didn't like that she seemed to be right about it. Damon killed his sister. The vampires brought all of this hell down on Mystic Falls and his friends. It really was all the vampires.

K sighed and turned her attention back to the table.

"It's the one thing we're good at, destroying everything around us." She looked back to Matt who was staring sadly down at the young woman. "And I'm sorry it's come down on the rest of you."

"Yeah." Was about all he could say. He wasn't sure what the conversation meant or why K was apologizing for everything the others had done. Something was wrong. "You alright K?"

She looked to the man who slid into the booth across from her. She couldn't try to make herself look better, to take the sadness from her features. It was an odd wave that had suddenly hit her, why she again didn't know, but she felt bad. Perhaps it was because poor Matt had lost everything all on the account of her kind.

"Everything's brilliant." She lied again. "I've only recently realized that everyone I've ever considered friend or other treat me no better than they do the ones they hate."

"What are you talking about? You're the only one that hasn't done something horrible since you've been here." He told her with a weak smile.

"Well, I've learned that there's nothing your little friends won't do if it means they can rid the world of Niklaus."

Matt's eyes narrowed curiously.

"Be careful Matt." She told him somberly. "Immortals like us tend to act without thinking because in the end it doesn't matter. This year, this decade, is little more than a blip to us so we forget how it resonates with the people around us."

He sat there looking at her, thinking over everything she was telling him when his boss called out. Matt stood quickly, knowing he be getting in trouble if he didn't get back to work.

K's headache wasn't getting any better and she decided to head home instead. She didn't really want to be anywhere at the moment it seemed. So she stood and moved towards the young man. He looked unsurely at her as she leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Just remember, you don't have to put up with all of this just because you're here." She said sweetly. "You don't have to make us part of your burden."

And with that cryptic goodbye, K left and made her way back home to the hotel room. He watched her leave, no more sure what happened than he had been when she sat down. He knew K true, but not that well anymore it seemed. All of them knew each other back before Elena's parents died when K was friends with Bonnie, but then she'd left and came back when the Klaus thing happened. Ever since then, she stayed primarily with the Salvatores, Elena and Bonnie. She barely spent time with Matt, Tyler and Caroline. At the moment, K was finding herself wishing she was smart enough to have done that before.

Matt was a sweet kid, honest, a good person and she felt truly bad for the things that had happened to him. If he wasn't smart enough to run away from Mystic Falls like she was about to, something bad was going to happen to him. It broke her heart to know his life was going to be ruined because of vampires. So she offered him some advice. Maybe he'd listen, but probably not. Poor kid...

~~~~!~~~~

Back at Tyler's house, while the other hybrids drank for the friend they lost, Klaus was too busy stewing angrily at what K had done. He knew there was no way she didn't realize how important Connor was to his plans. There was no way she didn't know how much all of them needed the Hunter, including Stefan, Damon and Elena. Connor held the key to everything that would save not only Klaus's hybrids, but the Salvatores little girlfriend. Then again, perhaps that was the problem. Maybe Klaus should have realized that K would have acted as she did just to get back at him for his cruel disinterest in her.

The pair of them were ridiculous. They were too prideful and thick headed. Each of them took everything the other did so damn personally they reacted violently. And for what? It did nothing, served no one. But that didn't stop them. He'd make her swoon. She would. Then he'd do something and she'd take it so personally she'd lash out. Then he'd make her swoon again and the cycle would repeat itself. They were toxic to each other, poison and dangerous.

"You're little friend murdered my Hunter, nearly ripped his head off from what I hear tell, and seems rather proud of herself for it." Klaus said angrily pointing his bottle holding hand to Tyler. "Let's just hope the hallucinations begin soon."

Tyler's eyes narrowed on the Original as he took a deep swig of his liquor.

"Hallucinations?" he asked curiously.

"Mm," Klaus nodded, swallowing the burning liquid. "Brilliant little side-effect of killing that particular breed. She should be willing to kill herself here soon enough."

"And you're just going to let her do it?" Tyler snapped angrily.

"She's not my problem anymore." He replied somberly.

Klaus had little else to say on the matter and didn't want to continue with it either. Thankfully, the subject was taken from him and shifted to Caroline and Tyler when the blond burst through his door and shoved a box of his things into the young man's hands. Klaus played the sympathetic ear. He honestly wasn't sure why either. It was like he'd started a puzzle with Caroline and he just had to see how it would look finished.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked when she noticed the relatively uncomfortable surroundings.

"It's kind of hard to explain." Tyler replied dismissively.

"Well try." She snapped sternly. "I'm the only one that nobody tells anything to anymore."

He sighed. Tyler didn't really want to get into it because he wasn't truly sure what _it_ was.

"You heard about the hunter right?" He asked her.

"Yeah. The one that shot you." She nearly growled.

"Yeah, him." He sighed. "K killed him."

"Good."

A smile twitched at the corner of his lips for only a second before vanishing.

"Yeah well, Klaus said there's a side-effect, some kind of hallucinations or something that comes with it." He explained, seeing the confusion and worry saturate her face. "He said she's going to try and kill herself."

"Oh my god." She gasped. "Did you call her? We need to make sure she's okay."

"No. I don't have her number." He defended. "Besides, what can we do? She's like almost a thousand years old. The only one in Mystic Falls who can do anything about it is Klaus and he already said he doesn't care."

"Son of a bitch." Caroline growled under her breath when her phone rang. She reached into her purse and pulled it out. "Mom, this isn't really a good time. Can I call you back later?"

"_Caroline, I think you're going to want to hear about this."_ The Sheriff said ominously.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"_You're friends with that girl Kalli right?"_

Caroline's eyes shot up to the two watching her, knowing both could hear the conversation. Klaus seemed indifferent which bothered the young blond more than she thought. Instead of replying, he huffed, took another long drink of the bourbon he had and left with most of his hybrids. He knew what was likely coming next.

"Yeah, why? Is she okay?"

"_I just got a phone call saying she's destroying her room. The manager called us when the neighbors complained about screaming and loud noises."_

"Is she alright?"

"_I don't know. We haven't gone inside yet. She's still going on. It sounds like she's fighting with someone. But Caroline, she's a vampire right? I can't just send my deputies in there if there's a chance she could kill them."_

"No yeah," she answered quickly. "Keep everyone out. I'll be there in a minute."

With an agreement, Sheriff Forbes hung up.

Caroline quickly grabbed Tyler and headed towards his SUV. They sped off towards the only real hotel in Mystic Falls, the building old and refurbished for the purpose. They knew it was where K was staying and when they arrived they saw how bad the situation must have been.


	24. Chapter 24

**A couple of you guys have said that you love how I update so fast. Honestly I update so fast cause you guys keep commenting. Makes me want to give you more story to read! It's a viscous cycle! hahaha. Enjoy**

Chapter 24

Three police cars were parked out front of the six story historical building. Tyler pulled over quickly, the two of them getting out and making their way into the lobby. Sheriff Forbes was waiting for them along with three of her officers.

"Why's everyone here?" Caroline asked, her eyes darting around the group of officers.

"Because, the people calling us were scared." Her mother replied simply.

"What room is she in?"

"463. Top floor. Why?"

"I've got to talk to her." Caroline said.

"I can't let you go up there by yourself."

"She's a friend of mine mom," Caroline said. Even though the use of the term _friend_ was done so loosely, Caroline was protective of any of them. After all, she knew how K had helped Bonnie's family and she was grateful for the vampire killing Connor. Part of Caroline felt obligated to try.

Without another word on the matter, Caroline headed immediately for the elevators.

When she made it to the top floor everything was eerily silent. There were two police officers waiting outside the elevator, the room on the opposite end of the hall. It was obvious they were waiting for orders from their boss before moving and unsure of really what else to do. They were slightly surprised to see the young woman.

They tried to tell Caroline to remain behind, but it was difficult. They knew who she was.

The men shared skeptical glances before radioing their boss who agreed, telling them she was on her way up already. Reluctantly the two men let Caroline walk by them and to the door at the end of the hall.

She walked slowly towards the simple wooden door, wondering what the hell was happening to make the entire police department show up in force. She took tentative steps forward before stopping directly in front of the door. After a few steadying breathes, Caroline knocked.

There was no response for a moment so she knocked again. When again there wasn't any response, Caroline decided to open the door. She wasn't prepared for what she saw within.

"Oh my god." She mumbled quietly.

The room was in shambles. The bed was thrown against the far wall, the dresser destroyed. A chair had been flung into a wall, the legs embedded within and the vanity mirror shattered. Drapes were torn from the poles, holes in the wall and K wasn't anywhere to be seen. It looked like there had been a knock down drag out fight.

"K?" she asked nervously.

"You shouldn't be here Caroline." K replied in a dulcet tone, her voice as empty and soft as before on the phone.

"Where are you?"

Caroline took a few more steps into the room and noticed that in the far corner was K. The young woman was leaning her back against the wall, sitting with one leg extended and the other propped up, her forearm resting on her knew. She looked calm and at ease. It was disconcerting. It didn't help that she seemed to be sweating, a thin sheen gracing her skin ad her black hair sticking to it in tendrils.

"What happened?" Caroline asked, her eyes slowly gliding around the destruction.

"Had a bit of an argument." K said simply before looking to her left. "Someone lost their temper."

"_I didn't do this. You did. You're the one that's out of control, monster."_ Connor told her.

"I'm not the monster. You're the one willing to go around killing people without reason."

"_When it's something like you, I don't need a reason. All of you things are killers."_

Caroline watched as her friend had a conversation with herself, no one else in the room with the two of them. And to make matters worse, it looked like K was losing.

"I'm not a killer." She snapped angrily.

"_Killed someone just the other night didn't you, drained the poor bastard after you ripped out his throat. That makes you a murderer, just like all the rest of your kind."_

"That was different."

Connor scoffed and shook his head at her.

"_You're pathetic. Why do you even bother lying to yourself like this? You knew it was just a matter of time."_

"Shut up!" she suddenly screamed forcing Caroline to jump.

K stood quickly, rushing the shadowy figure in her mind and sailing through him into the wall creating another divot where her shoulder hit.

"Kalli stop!" Caroline yelled, in horror of what she was seeing.

Without warning, K's eyes focused on her and Caroline could tell in that instant she wasn't what K was seeing.

"I'll rip your head off!" she screamed, suddenly seeing Niklaus standing before her. She didn't even know where the sudden rage had come from, only that it was there. "I gave you everything!"

"K stop it! It's me, Caroline!" she defended quickly, seeing something bad was about to happen.

K's eyes suddenly cleared and for the first time since speaking to her, Caroline saw recognition. K's brows came together tightly, her eyes darting around the room.

"Oh god," she gasped. "What have I done?"

"It's okay. You're fine."

"No, something's wrong with me." She said, shaking her head before meeting Caroline's gaze, her eyes glassy with tears. "I don't know what's happening."

"We can find out what's wrong, okay? We can fix it. Bonnie can fix it."

Caroline tried to keep her voice calm and soothing, but it wasn't going to help. K had been hallucinating dreadful things for most of the day, ever since leaving the Grill almost five hours prior. It was starting to wear her down.

"_Pathetic, you know that?"_ Connor said, appearing in K's peripheral vision. She cringed, closing her eyes and trying to drown him out. "_You know it won't work, don't you? You'll never get rid of me until you kill yourself."_

"I'm not going to kill myself." She snapped, angrily staring down the figment of her imagination to her right. Caroline grew more unnerved. "Go to hell!"

"_Wish I could leave you alone, trust me. There's nothing I'd love more than to wash my hands of something as disgusting as you, but I can't. I have to make sure every last one of you things is dead and gone."_

"Just leave me alone! Stop talking!" she screamed, slamming her hands over her ears.

She was shaking as she tried to drown out the sounds of Connor's taunting laughs. They wouldn't go away. No matter how she tried they wouldn't go away. Given her past, there was a ridiculous abundance of things the figment could use and it didn't take long to unravel her.

The only thing K could think was to out run the figure. She thought -briefly- that if she could run fast enough he wouldn't be there.

Without a single word to Caroline, K turned and raced for the window. She leapt through the pane sending glass shattering around her and falling like rain to the ground below. The cops and people that had been there were shielding themselves from the debris when something hard landed on top of a car.

K had landed low on the roof of one of the police cars, busting the lights into nothing and crushing the aluminum roof beneath her with the force of her fall. She paused for a moment, the alarm screaming from the action.

A few passers by were horrified by what they'd seen, even more so when the young woman sprang to life and raced off into the distance in a blur of movement. Caroline rushed to the window in time to see K vanish.

"K!" she screamed to no avail.

She felt tears begin to well in her eyes at the thought of K being in pain or hurting. She could tell just from the random conversations she was having with herself that something was horribly wrong.

Slowly, Caroline made her way downstairs to Tyler and her mom. They asked what happened but had a pretty good idea. Caroline was nearly crying by the time she saw them, telling them what she'd seen and how bad K was. No one knew what to do for a moment, lost to the situation before something donned on the blond.

"Bonnie." She chimed. She didn't even know how she'd forgotten after mentioning the witch to Kalli, but assumed it was just from the shock of everything. "Maybe Bonnie can help."

"I thought she couldn't do magic." Tyler said.

"She can't but she should at least be able to tell us what's going on right? I mean this is obviously like some magic curse or something."

"Okay," he shrugged. "Why not."

"Well do something quick because I don't know how the hell we can contain something like this before she hurts someone." Sheriff Forbes added.

Caroline nodded and dialed her friend's number quickly.

"_Hey Caroline."_ Bonnie greeted. "_What's up?"_

"I need your help. Or, Kalli needs your help." She clarified.

"_Is something wrong?"_

"Yeah. Uh, K killed that Hunter guy and now she's hallucinating."

"_Hallucinating? What do you mean?"_ Bonnie asked curiously.

"I don't really know. I mean, this sounds like a curse right?"

"_It could be I guess, I need a little more than that though. What happened exactly?"_

"All we know is she killed that Hunter and Klaus said she's going to hallucinate then kill herself."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.

"_Are you sure?"_

"He seemed pretty confident."

"_Okay, well, what do you need me to do?"_ Bonnie asked, feeling the need to protect the one that had done the same for her family for so long.

"Find out what this is. I mean, isn't there something in your books about this? A Hunter's Curse or something?"

"_Well how does Klaus even know any of this stuff?"_

"Who cares?" Caroline said almost desperately. "K's one of the few people who's always been there to help us out. There's got to be something we could do to help her, lift the curse or something."

"_We don't even know if it is a curse. She could just being going crazy from guilt."_

"How am I supposed to find out for sure?"

"_Klaus seems to know everything. Ask him."_

Caroline growled but knew she had no choice.

"Okay fine. I'll call you back, okay?"

"_Yeah."_

The two hung up and Caroline found herself staring hopefully at Tyler. He glowered, knowing what he was being asked to do without her even saying it. He reluctantly reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone and called the young man he never wanted to talk to.

"_Tyler,"_ Klaus sighed sarcastically. _"What can I do for you?"_

"What's wrong with K?" he asked, skipping any forced pleasantries.

"_I take it young Miss Kalli's mental health is on the decline."_

"Stop it, okay?" he snapped. "What's wrong with her? I know you know."

"_What's the matter Lockwood, Caroline and Hayley not enough for you? Now you've found the need to branch out to newer, well, older women?"_ he teased darkly.

"She's my friend." His jaw was tensing. "Just because you don't care if she kills herself, doesn't mean we don't."

"_Fair enough. Perhaps you're right. It's a curse of a hunter, one of the originals given their power by a witch. K upset the balance and now she's going to suffer for it until it all goes away."_

"There's nothing we can do about it?"

"_Not to my knowledge."_ He replied in the same careless tone. "_It took decades for me to stop hallucinating when I slaughtered the original five."_

"You've killed these hunters before?" he asked to the shock of them all.

"_Of course. No need to worry though. K's immortal. She can't die so easily anymore. Physically, she'll be fine. Mentally on the other hand, well that remains to be seen."_

And with that the man hung up.

Tyler stared at his phone for a moment before meeting the others' horrified expressions. Klaus's indifference seemed to know no bounds.

In truth Klaus was worried about K, more than he knew he should have been, and that was what made him stop. He had to ignore her. He had to try and stay out of it, otherwise he'd simply give her more ammunition. He'd already foolishly admitted to loving her once. If he'd saved her life a fourth time there was no telling how she'd take it…

Caroline called Bonnie back quickly and relayed what she'd heard from Klaus about it being a witch's curse and there originally being five of them. Bonnie told the vampire she'd find out what she could and get back to her soon.

Bonnie was at Elena's house to talk to her and see how she was doing after the frat party and everything else. Damon and Stefan were there too, hearing the story Bonnie retold. They understood about as much as she did, but were less willing to help than Bonnie.

"But she's our friend. How can you just brush this off?" Bonnie asked surprised.

"Actually, she's already threatened to kill us, so I think that negates any friendship we used to have." Stefan said.

"To be fair, we did try to kill her first." Damon replied.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie asked shocked.

"Well, you see her and Klaus have this weird little love hate thing going on, and Stefan here thought it'd be a good idea to use K as a little poker chip to try and get rid of Klaus for good. It was a pretty good plan till Klaus ripped out my throat."

"I didn't think he'd take it that far Damon." He sighed as though he'd been apologizing for it since thinking up the ill-fated plan.

"Yeah well, I guess seeing his little girlfriend vervained and you pushing a stake into her chest pushed one too many buttons."

"What is wrong with you?!" Bonnie demanded, staring at Stefan in horror. "Why would you do something like that to her?"

"He was Evil Stefan at the time." Damon said sarcastically.

"When are you going to just drop that?"

"When it stops biting us in the ass."

Bonnie couldn't believe what she was hearing. It seemed too fantastic to believe, the man's complete disregard for the young woman he'd known for over one hundred and fifty years. She felt her mouth hanging slack and shaking her head at him.

"Well I'm going to help her." Bonnie said. "With or without you."

"Why? She's in love with Klaus." Stefan said as Bonnie grabbed her purse.

"Because K's been there by my family's side for almost a thousand years and I'm not going to run off now that she needs _my_ help." She said, turning to leave.

"Wait up." Damon sighed. "I'll come with you."

Stefan cocked a brow to his brother, wondering if he knew how easily K could turn around and kill him if she saw him.

"Hey, building bridges and all that jazz." He said sarcastically. "Besides, she's been on our side before. Maybe if we kiss and make up, she'll return the favor."

"If you say so." Stefan said disbelievingly as the two left the house.

"Is that true?" Elena asked as she walked into the kitchen. "What Bonnie said?"

"About K? Yeah, probably."

"Why don't you want to help her?"

"I'm skeptical, that's all. What's to stop her from turning around and stabbing us in the backs when everything's taken care of?"

"She wouldn't if we hadn't done it first." Elena said. "She trusted us and we turned on her just because we _thought_ it'd get rid of Klaus. Can you really blame her for being so angry?"

"No, but I can be wary of it."

"Stefan, she was our friend, before and after all this vampire stuff. It's not her fault she knew Klaus when she was human, or that she fell in love with him." Elena replied, tasting how disgusting it felt saying someone loved Klaus. "We can't pick who we fall in love with."

"No, but we can pick who we stand beside." He defended. He regretted using her like he did, but that didn't mean he had to admit he regretted it to everyone else.

"And she used to stand beside us. She was there the whole time we were trying to kill Klaus, in the woods and ever since. _We_ are the ones that made her hate us like this."

"Why are you defending her, after what she said to you?"

"Because I could tell she was hurt. Her feelings were hurt and if she hadn't killed Connor, I would have." Elena defended. "I would have killed someone and not only that, I'd be going through this same thing too."

Elena stepped closer to Stefan and he could see the worry in her eyes. Evidently turning made her guilt all the stronger and her need to right the things she'd done wrong all the more prominent in her mind.

"We never even told her we were sorry."

Stefan laughed lightly whether he meant to or not. She was right, in the end. It was the three of them that had started this whole thing and K would likely still be on their side if they hadn't. Slowly he nodded, agreeing that they'd help anyway they could.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Klaus walked leisurely through the streets and saw the damage K had caused fairly quickly. They still hadn't moved the cop car and with the broken window above it didn't take a genius to realize what had happened. To add further proof, there were two footprints in the metal roof. He smiled marginally at that fact.

He could still smell her, lingering in the air, and briefly thought he should chase after her. He remembered vividly the thoughts he had when he was being tortured himself and knew the pain the memories could bring up. He even knew how the hallucinations would manifest themselves. More than once they had been K herself, screaming crying, calling him a monster, saying that he was the reason she died in the fire and his brothers hated him. Horrible thoughts.

But after seeing the damage she'd done so soon after killing the man, Klaus feared what she might do next. He decided to take chase and find her before something bad truly happened. He sailed effortlessly after the scent, almost tasting it when she grew closer before finding her in one place he'd never expected. The young woman had run for miles to escape herself and somehow ended up in the Lockwood cellar of all things.

Klaus hadn't known she'd managed to stumble across it in the middle of the woods and what was within. She was currently in the corner of the room, curled into herself, with her hands over her ears as though they would help silence the voices he knew were running through her head.

"K." He said softly.

K shook her head, refusing to hear the man.

"Kalli pet, look at me."

Slowly, she raised her head enough to eye the man over her knees. He could tell she didn't believe it was him.

"Come on darling, I'll take you some place safe." He said, still stepping slowly forward and offering his hand.

K didn't move or speak, her eyes dead set on the one in front of her. She stared strongly at the figure before her brilliant green eyes darted to the left. He glanced slightly, wondering if there truly was another standing beside him only to see nothing.

"It's only a hallucination love, nothing more." He told her as calmly as he could.

"_Yes sweetheart, nothing more."_ The other Klaus replied, his lips curled up into a taunting smile.

"You're not real." She whispered into her knees.

"_You can repeat that all you wish lovely, but I'm not going anywhere, you know that."_ He chuckled, stepping towards the young woman. The real Klaus watched as K pushed herself further into the corner as though she wanted to escape whatever was coming closer. His brows pulled together tightly at the fear in her eyes. "_I should've killed you. There were a hundred times I could've done it, but I didn't. At least then I'd have saved you becoming this."_

"Then why didn't you?" she hissed at the figment. "Instead of cursing me like this, why didn't you just let Elijah finish me off? Or Rebekah? Or Finn?"

Klaus's eyes went wide. He looked to his side again and realized quickly she was seeing him. Of all the people she could see, it was him talking to her, taunting her.

"_Where's the fun in that?"_ Non-Klaus smiled. He reached the young woman and knelt in front of her, his forearms resting on his knees. "_You were nothing when I bought you, just some pathetic little beggar they picked up off the streets. You'd have died within a week."_

"You don't know that."

"_Oh yes I do. You were weak. You **are** weak."_

"No I'm not." She breathed, the strength missing from her words. "I'm stronger than you think I am."

"_Really?"_ he laughed tauntingly. "_Look at you. You're sitting in a crypt, huddled into the corner and shaking like a frightened little rabbit. You're beyond pathetic."_

Tears began to well in her eyes as she stared at the taunting figment, the real Klaus watching in sick fascination. Non-Klaus had already appeared to her more than once and the things he'd said... they were so very cruel.

"I'm not scared of you." She whispered.

"_No, you tremble for another reason don't you?"_ he sneered. "_You can't help it can you? You're so sad, falling in love with me. What makes you think I'd ever waste the time on someone like you? The best thing that ever happened was when I thought you'd died."_

"That's not true." K's voice still hadn't made it above a soft whimper.

"_I celebrated. You were finally gone, my burden liberated."_

K began to shake her head, burying her eyes into her knees again as she cried softly.

"I don't believe you." She whimpered.

"_Believe what you want. It's the truth. Why not just hurry up and kill yourself hm? Free the world of you."_

K began to shake her head.

"_Come on. Even you can do something like that. It's not hard."_

"K, come with me." The real Klaus said, sensing he was losing her. She didn't hear him, still focusing on the figment's words.

"No." she mumbled, her voice cracking.

"Yes, just take my hand."

"_Just take your life."_ The fake continued.

"I can't."

"_Look at me."_

She didn't move.

"_Look at me."_ He demanded again.

Without her permission, her body moved and stared sadly at the only Klaus she could see, the real one. It might as well be the illusion for all she knew.

"Just take it." He told her simply, unaware of what '_he'_ was already telling her.

K's brows came together so tightly it hurt, even to look at. She wanted it to stop, to have a bit of peace from the taunting and there was only one way she could think to end it.

Without warning, K gripped the back of her head and jaw in her hands and jerked violently to the side. Klaus felt his gut turn at the sound of bones breaking, K slumping before slowly falling to the side.

His eyes were wide; his hand still outstretched awaiting her to take it when she broke her own neck. She didn't speak, only acted. When his mouth fell slack, he could feel his eyes burning. Disbelief washed through him so thickly it threatened to choke the life from his body. It was a gut wrenching sight.

He couldn't move for what felt like an eternity, unable to come to terms with watching K temporarily kill herself in front of him. But his mind came back to him soon enough. Knowing this was likely the only chance he would have to take her, he did just that. Klaus bent down and lifted her into his arms and left quickly.

~~~!~~~

"I want to see her." Bonnie demanded of the blond.

"Calm yourself little girl." Klaus sighed.

"Look, I know you have her. Just let me see her."

"What makes you think I've got her stashed away somewhere, hm?"

"Because I can sense her here." She said angrily. "Now let me see her."

A light smile touched his lips.

"Clever little thing, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically. "What makes you think she wants to see you? She hasn't had such a wonderful track record with your other friends."

"Because I'm her _real_ friend."

Klaus stared at the young woman and could see the same determination swelling within her eyes he'd seen so often coming from K.

"Yes," he answered in a sarcastically airy voice. "You certainly are, aren't you?"

Silence stretched for a moment or two longer than anyone felt comfortable with. Bonnie was looking from Caroline and then Klaus. Damon seemed to be the only one fine with everything, or at least was suave enough to hide it. Part of the reason Damon had brought Bonnie was because he had to know how bad this supposed cure was and Bonnie wasn't going to go without Caroline.

All knew Klaus either had K or knew where she was after she dropped off the face of the Earth and Bonnie was so determined to see her friend she wanted to go to the man himself.

"Well," Klaus finally said, his eyes glancing to everyone standing around staring at him. "Let's have us a reunion then, shall we?"

The few who knew the vampire hybrid well enough to know he was taunting them, didn't speak as he turned and made his way towards his basement. K had become violent, something he should have expected, so he had no choice but to put her in the most secure room he could. He felt a bit guilty doing it, but had to in the end. She was older and stronger than his hybrids so they would have been useless to use as guards and he couldn't sit there listening to her screaming in pain because of whatever the curse was showing her.

The group of four made their way through the long hall into the basement and was immediately met with the sound of K screaming at nothing. She was yelling at someone to leave her alone, to get away from her. It sent chills down their collective spines.

When Klaus reached the door, he glanced through the metal bars near the top of the thick steel to see her in the corner. It had become as common place as her screaming it seemed. Reluctantly, he opened the door and let it swing wide; giving the small group the view they all seemed to want. K didn't even notice, still in horrid fear of the figment taunting her.

"Kalli?" Bonnie whispered softly, stepping cautiously into the room with Caroline, Damon and Klaus in the doorway behind her.

K didn't notice the ones walking towards her, her eyes focused in terror on the man standing ten feet away, dressed as many would be in the early eleventh century.

"Get away from me!" she screamed again, pressing herself as close to the wall as she could, yelling at nothing.

"There's nothing there." Bonnie said.

Those who hadn't seen it -and even Klaus despite the fact- felt her fear. It was like seeing a kitten, shaking and frightened of the world around it. It made you want to rush up to it, wrap it in your arms and try to make everything go away. Now was no different. Even Damon wanted to try and take her pain away. If anything, he wanted to save himself the sight of it. Hell, he could almost taste it in the air, the room saturated in it.

"_But I came back, just for you."_

"You're dead." She breathed, shaking her head at him. "They told me you're dead. Matt killed you."

Klaus' head snapped to. He knew what was wrong now and it frightened him more than any of her delusions thus far. He suddenly pushed himself through the crowd and stood in the foreground, not bothering to hide his concern.

"Kalli, who do you see?" he demanded.

His commands fell to deaf ears.

"_A human? You honestly think a human could kill me?"_

"But they did. With the white oak… Matt killed you." She breathed panicked. "Rebekah said they killed you…"

"Is she seeing Finn?" Damon asked, remembering the plan to kill him.

Even though Rebekah was in the process of trying to kill him, he still knew the plan to kill all of the Originals when they were still connected and knew Finn was the one willing to die, their best chance.

They knew she was afraid of him, that much was obvious at the ball, but no one save Klaus knew the reason behind it. Until Bonnie remembered the story. Her eyes went wide and fear began to bubble inside her.

"Oh my god," she muttered before yelling. "He's not real K!"

"_Tisk, tisk, tisk."_ Finn chuckled, stepping forward and kneeling in front of her. His hand came out to touch her skin but she sprang to her feet and rushed to the other side of the room.

"Don't touch me. _Never_ touch me." She hissed angrily, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Finn stood leisurely and turned to her, eying the young woman with a predatory glare. He sauntered towards her leisurely, his eyes moving along her body and making her cringe.

"_I'm going to be here every day, when you sleep, while you're awake, until you want me gone."_

"I want you gone." She declared, as though that were enough.

"_You know what to do."_ He said. _"You know what you have to do to make it happen."_

K looked painfully at the thing no one could see. She would never survive seeing Finn every waking moment and when she slept. Never. There wasn't a question about it. With everything he'd done to her in the past, K knew what she had to do.

"Kalliope, god damn it, look at me!" Klaus demanded. His voice was beginning to shake with desperation.

But she was deaf to them all. She saw and heard nothing but the smiling Finn. She knew what she had to do to make him go away.

Suddenly, K plunged her fingers into her chest. She screamed loudly as she dug them deeper and deeper into her skin, piercing through her flesh to try and reach her heart. The group jumped, Bonnie and Caroline gasping at the sight. Klaus' mouth dropped as did the other man in the room as K desperately tried to rip out her own beating heart. There was nothing else in the room to do it -Klaus had made sure of that- so she was out of options. She had to do it the hard way.

She cried out loudly from the pain. It was the worst thing she'd ever felt in her life and given the things she'd lived through, that was truly saying something. But she didn't stop. She couldn't. If she was going to be free she had to finish. K couldn't hold back.

Her knees began to waver as she dug deeper, feeling the blood rush from her chest when her fingers reached her ribcage. So close. She was so close now. Still she pressed, ready to grip the once beating muscle and wrench it from her body when something ran into her.

Klaus had rushed forward when he realized she wasn't going to stop. He pinned her to the ground and grabbed her arm, yanking it from within her chest and pinning it to the ground along with the other. She was crying, not from the pain but because she hadn't finished.

"No!" she screamed, her eyes slammed shut.

"Look at me." Klaus growled angrily at her.

K shook her head, refusing to open her eyes when she couldn't trust what she heard or saw.

"He's not real." He tried to explain. "Finn's dead."

"He's here." She mumbled, repeating the words over and over again, refusing to believe the man holding her.

"Kalliope," Klaus's voice suddenly dropped, the angry tone leaving it and replaced by worry. "Look at me."

Slowly, hesitantly, K did as was requested. The moment she saw Klaus looking down at her, Finn appeared over his shoulder. She bit down on her lips, her eyes on the man that wasn't there. The tears flowed this time, without any sign they would stop as she struggled to even breathe. Klaus seemed to realize what she was seeing. He recognized the terror in her eyes, the image burned in his memory from centuries before was reflected back even though she wasn't looking at him.

"He's not real." He repeated as though it would help. "There's nothing there."

She could barely tear her eyes away from the hallucination before focusing on Klaus. He saw the recognition take hold and knew she was in fact looking at him. It was mildly comforting.

"_Don't let him get me, please."_ She whispered desperately in her old tongue.

"_I won't."_ Klaus answered back in the dead language, something the ones watching didn't recognize which was fine to the two of them, forgetting quickly there were others in the room. "_I won't let him get you."_

"_You promised he'd never find me."_ She began to beg, her bottom lip trembling as she spoke. _"You promised you'd keep me safe."_

K suddenly felt so useless, so weak. She might as well have been the same fifteen year old girl she was the last time Finn stalked after her. Everything that happened in between meant nothing. She was reduced to a quivering mess, fearing what was to come at the hands of a figment that was already gone.

"_I will. He's not real."_ He told her as confidently as he could despite watching as she lost her mind. His hand came up and gently touched her cheek, wiping away the tears that had gathered. "_He's not real, just a figment. He's not real."_

K's eyes darted to the smiling brunette behind Klaus's shoulder. She slammed her eyes shut and turned her head as far away from the man as she could. Klaus may have seemed confident Finn wasn't there, but she wasn't.

"Just kill me." She whispered, her words wavering and filled with the purest fear. It was enough to shock all those watching, including the man holding her. "Please," she begged. "Just kill me."

K didn't believe Klaus and he could tell, but he didn't know what else to do. He knew if he let her go completely, K would try to kill herself again and if she had the willpower to try and dig her heart out of her chest, something he'd tried and knew the pain involved, she'd do it again.

The pull in his chest wouldn't be ignored. It hurt. Watching her in the state she was in physically hurt him.

As the desperation and sadness of the situation grew to an unimaginable degree, K suddenly felt a wind sweep through her body. She instantly relaxed and breathed deeply, her eyes opened and looked around. All she could see was Klaus pinning her to the ground and the others in the doorway. A weak smile began to tug on her lips.

"He's gone." She muttered quietly, a disbelieving laugh leaving her lips. "He's gone."

Klaus's head dipped in relief. He slowly removed his grip and pushed himself up off the young woman. Relief swept through everyone, not only the hybrid.

K lay on the ground, her hands coming to her face as she smiled and laughed weakly in disbelieving liberation. She was free of the taunting and torture of her memories and was forever grateful for it.

Klaus on the other hand couldn't remain in the room. He turned and left quickly, pushing back through the onlookers and out of the basement entirely. He couldn't be near K after something like that. He thought seeing her 'kill' herself once was bad enough, but watching her struggle to rip her heart out was too much. She'll be the death of him. One way or another, K will be the death of him.

K had slowly risen, remembering in vivid detail what had happened and found herself surprised the others were there. She hadn't noticed them in the least, but it was obvious they'd been there for a while.

Bonnie ran forward and hugged the young woman tightly, K returning the action. She was crying for obvious reasons, but K tried to reassure her when they finally parted. Her eyes fell to the others in the room, Caroline coming forward to hug her friend though not as desperately as Bonnie had. The relief was still there.

"What happened?" K finally asked when they broke their embrace.

"You tried to rip out your own heart." Damon replied in his usual snotty tone. "Brutal."

"No, that part I remember," she glanced down to her hand and bloody fingers. "Vividly. I mean why did it suddenly stop?"

"Damon helped me find a way to break the curse." Bonnie said.

K cocked a brow to the vampire.

"That's right, me." He said smugly pointing to himself. "So no more of this trying to kill me stuff, okay?"

"That all depends on _how_ it was broken."

"Jeremy just had to kill a vamp. That's all." He replied dismissively.

"Jeremy? Why would he…" she paused and understanding washed through her features. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Jeremy's a Five now. That's interesting."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I don't want to know how you already know that." Damon muttered. "But are we cool now? No more threats?"

"I don't know. Are we?" she asked, eying the man skeptically.

He smiled as charmingly to her as he could and nodded.

"We're cool."

She nodded in return. While she didn't entirely believe the situation between them would be any less tense than it currently was, she was content not to have an all out war between her and the Salvatores. They wouldn't fair well in the end.

"So..." Damon began after a slight silence. "Kalliope?"

It was obvious he was asking about her name, not about to ask her anything in particular. All three women standing nearby turned to him with a narrowed eye.

"What?" he defended weakly.

~~~~!~~~~

**In the next chapter, K's going to show just _how_ grateful she is and one final fight will ensue. Hahaha. But, she'll have the final word. I'll put it up today if I can get, mmmm, five more reviews. lol. Yes, I'm a review whore. haha. I hope you guys are liking the story!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, I lied, but LAST UPDATE FOR NOW! :)**

Chapter 26

K had managed to get the others to leave her alone for a little while. She told them she wanted some time to herself and reluctantly most of them agreed. Damon was more willing to leave, still freaked out by what he'd seen while Caroline and Bonnie were a little more apprehensive. K told them she'd call them later, but after the ordeal she wanted a little time to herself, something her fractured mind wouldn't give her. They did as she asked after answering the questions she had.

They told her everything she wanted to know, like how they'd managed to get Klaus to help them out. Bonnie didn't want to tell her in front of Klaus, but when K asked she didn't want to tell her no. So when they left the Mikaelson property she told them about Klaus sacrificing one of his hybrids to save K, about the curse and Jeremy being the potential that had to awaken the spell with his first kill. K nodded her understanding, taking the information in stride and leaving to go about her own business. She needed to steady her mind, repeat to herself that everything she'd heard during her hallucinations -while true- wasn't real. Telling herself they weren't real didn't help.

As she walked, still wearing her bloodied and soiled clothes, K found herself going to the house she'd recently left. She stood in the driveway looking at the towering manor, her eyes darting across the windows. The young woman wondered if it were smart she was there in the first place and asked herself why she'd returned. It was perhaps one of the worst ideas she'd had in a long time, but if there was one thing the passed few days had taught her, it was regret and foul memory will eat you alive given the chance. In the end, she'd returned to save her own sanity.

Slowly, she approached the front door and knocked. There wasn't an answer for a moment but before she could knock again the door opened. Klaus's hybrid stood on the other side looking just as stunned as she did.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I need to speak with Niklaus."

He nodded, eying the woman he'd seen in the house before and the blood that stained her clothing before stepping inside and closing the door. She hadn't expected to be invited in, but it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes at him. A few moments later the door opened and a confused Klaus found himself staring at K.

He said nothing as he eyed her disheveled form. The white shirt she was wearing had been destroyed, finger sized holes in the center of her chest. The blood that had escaped trailed down the fabric, soaking it entirely and even making it to her jeans before the stream had been cut short by Klaus's intervention. It was harder to forget the image when she was standing in front of him in the same clothing she'd tried to kill herself in.

After a moment of silence, Klaus stepped aside and motioned for K to walk into the house. She did without reservation. Still without speaking, the hybrid closed the front door and walked off towards the study. K followed suit and stepped through the threshold. Klaus closed the double doors behind him, giving the two of them the privacy he assumed they would need. K paced for a moment, walking in front of the fire place as she tried to think about what she'd gone there to say. To be honest, she hadn't the slightest clue. Her feet brought her there without her permission.

When she finally managed to turn around, Klaus had taken a seat on the couch. He'd leaned into the plush backing, a leg crossed nonchalantly over his knee, an arm on the back of the couch and the other resting on the arm. He looked truly at ease, his expression blank and it made her throat dry all the quicker. It was obvious he was waiting for her to tell him why she was there, but K wasn't even sure.

K was fidgeting with her fingers, a nervous habit she'd developed only recently it seemed. That and to be honest it served a purpose. She was partially digging some of her own blood out of her nails. She wasn't sure what else to do for a moment or two. Klaus cocked a brow, waiting for the woman to speak or give any indication as to why she was there, again. It had been nearly ten minutes since she'd arrived and still not a word had been spoken.

Bad idea… everything she was thinking was a bad idea. But no matter what thought moved through her head, she seemed to make an excuse to justify it. Nothing about her visit was going to end well.

Hesitantly K finally moved towards him. Klaus's eyes were set squarely to her as she approached, the young woman moving slowly as she tried to think about what she was planning to do. A brief idea had graced her thoughts, and she'd thought better about it for a moment, but it was fleeting. In the end it seemed to be what her body was going to do with or without her mind's approval.

Steady footsteps brought her ever closer to the man sitting so easily on the couch. Klaus brought his arm up, propping his elbow up and resting his mouth in his fingers as he watched her curiously. Still K approached.

Her eyes met his curious ones despite the emotion remaining free of his face. His leg dropped from its crossed position, why he wasn't sure but it had, joining its twin on the carpeted floor. Still the two kept their eyes locked to one another. K stepped between his knees, looking unsurely down at the man. Klaus kept his lips hidden between his fingers, his head steady but his eyes moved up to keep their gaze connected.

She stood stationary for a moment before doing something that completely disarmed him. K brought her leg up and rested her knee on the man's left, moving fluidly to straddle him without a misstep. Klaus leaned further back from the action, this time the shock touching his features, his hand dropping from his jaw. He looked at the young woman curiously who kept her apprehensive look.

Slowly her hands came up and cupped his jaw, her body relaxing into its position. Klaus's brows came together at the display. But he didn't move, willing to see what was going to happen next. He didn't have to wait long before K leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. Her eyes closed as she sighed something that sounded like relief.

"Thank you." She whispered, speaking for the first time in over fifteen minutes. "Thank you."

"I haven't,"

Klaus's words were cut short quickly when K placed her lips against his. She kissed him softly at first, knowing in truth what he'd done to help her. She knew how greedy he was, how proud and the fact he'd given up one of his few remaining hybrids for Jeremy to kill was more than she expected him to ever do. True in the end it would still serve him, but she didn't care. He didn't see the things she did. He didn't see the hell she'd been through, the guilt the shame of it all. He just didn't know.

K parted after the elongated peck, her lips barely leaving his.

"Thank you." She whispered again, her gratitude more than enough for him to feel. "You saved me."

He nodded slowly, more than willing to take the credit if she was going to give it. Her lips brushed his as she spoke, her breath gracing his skin and causing his back to tense. K couldn't help it. There was no way for her to express her thanks for what he'd done. She was on the brink of insanity and Klaus pulled her back. For that moment she'd forgotten everything else he'd done, the horrible things that even involved her life because he'd saved her when it counted and that was all she could think of.

K leaned forward and kissed him again, this time deepening it quickly. Klaus didn't bother fighting the action, his hands finding their way to her body to hold her closer. K moved into it easily.

Their tongues battled for supremacy, each nipping and biting at the other's lips as their passions began to grow. Klaus suddenly shifted the two, spinning them enough to pin K beneath him on the couch. His hands snaked between them and quickly began to rip at her already destroyed shirt. K helped as best she could, but had to admit she was more interested in shedding him of his.

With nimble fingers, Klaus soon had K sans shirt, the young woman managing to pull his over his shoulders and tossed it aside too. She gasped when she felt his hands gliding along her bare skin, holding her hip firmly in place as she clung to his shoulders, feeling them tense beneath her fingertips.

Klaus soon trailed to the side, his lips dancing along her jaw line before disappearing into the crook of her neck. K still held to him, struggling to breathe when teeth pierced her flesh. It wasn't harsh or cruel. It was barely more than a love-bite, the hybrid drinking softly from her. She gasped at the sensation, her back arching and pressing her lace covered chest into his.

He groaned, feeling her fingers tense in his hair and cradle him to her throat as he fed the pheromone filled blood. It was making him dizzy in the best sense of the word. The same could have been said for K. She was saturated with Klaus, just like she had been when she was alive. She felt every inch of him touching her vibrate through her body from the teeth sunk into her neck to the pronounced appendage that seemed to be growing beneath his slacks.

Klaus finally broke from her neck and pulled back, looking down at the young woman with the heavy eyes, the green barely visible beneath her lids. Her blood stained his chin and lips, but if she cared she didn't let on. Instead, K's tongue darted out and lightly licked his bottom lip, tasting her blood on him before he claimed her lips again.

But as their passions grew and the need for what both wanted began to surge through them stronger than before, something began to creep into Klaus's mind. It was an unpleasant thought, one he didn't want to entertain but refused to be ignored. It started small until it was screaming so loudly it hurt his ears. He growled his disappointment and pulled away from her.

"I can't." he breathed, pushing himself up and moving away from the young woman and the couch.

K was breathing heavy for obvious reasons, staring blankly at the ceiling as her mind tried to catch up with what was happening. She slowly turned her head to the man standing at the fireplace, his hands on the mantle and his head dipped between his shoulders.

"You should go." He told her after a moment of silence.

"You've got to be joking." K replied indignantly.

Klaus stood upright and turned to face her, his expression blank like it had been so many times, serious. He knew saying what he was about to say was going to start it's own storm of hatred. It was going to start its own special breed of fighting, but he didn't have a choice. It was too dangerous for her to be around him. After seeing what she'd gone through with the curse, he couldn't risk something worse affecting her. She could hate him, fine, but at least she'd be alive.

"I need you to leave." He said again in a voice to match the cold expression. "I've better things to do then waste my time with you anymore."

Rage swept through her instantly at his words. K cocked a skeptical brow to the man with her blood smeared across his lips and then down to her body. She hadn't dreamed it. The two of them were just pawing at one another, becoming engrossed in each other, but he'd put an end to it.

With an angry growl, K pushed herself up and reached for her shirt. She held up the tattered shreds, glaring at Klaus over the top of them. With a sigh, she threw it back to the ground and stole his. Klaus didn't speak as she slipped the black sweater he'd been wearing that day over her head and thread her arms through. K ran her fingers agitatedly through her hair as she looked at him.

As she thought of so many things to say to him, the twinge in her neck gave her something to focus on. K raced for Klaus as fast as she could and before he could stop her, bit into his neck. He growled loudly when she took a chunk out of his skin. K pulled back and defiantly spit the skin out that she'd taken from him.

She began towards the doors, turning to face him again just before leaving. Klaus's jaw was tight, a thin trail of his blood gliding down his chest from the healed wound she'd created. Every muscle was tight. It was obvious he wanted to fight, but he didn't move.

K's mind raced with things to say to him to the point she had trouble focusing on just one.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked seriously. Klaus's jaw clenched just a bit tighter than before, but he didn't speak. "Is this fun for you or something? Toying with people?"

"You came here on your own accord love, I didn't call you." He replied tersely.

"I did, yeah." She nodded. Her agitation showed through every sarcastically spoken word. "I came here because of what you did for me, because I was grateful and in that gratitude I fooled myself into thinking you were worth a damn. I let myself think you might actually still have a soul in there somewhere, but you don't do you?" he didn't respond, but she could see his eyes darken. "This is just some kind of sick game for you isn't it? You just think its funny making the little servant girl fall for you all over again and then when she throws herself at you, you remind her of the way _things_ _are supposed to be_."

"Go back to California, child." He said sternly. She twitched and he noticed, but she honestly wasn't surprised by his cold words. "Stay away from me."

K sighed and shook her head. She ran her fingers through her disheveled hair, not even bothering to avoid her blood stained fingertip. Her eyes shifted back to Klaus.

"You know what? Maybe in the next thousand years you'll figure out what it means to be a real boy instead of a hollow wooden boy." She said in an even, angry voice. "Goodbye Niklaus."

Without another word, K turned and left the house and the man standing in the study to ponder what the hell had just happened. That shouldn't have happened, none of it. They shouldn't have kissed and he shouldn't have let it go that far.

He glowered as he touched his neck. The only reason he hadn't defended himself against the action was he knew she needed his blood. After biting her, he infected her with his venom and knew without the cure she'd die. That was the _only_ reason he hadn't fought her. And well... perhaps a part of him felt she deserved the chance to inflict injury on him.

With her gone, Klaus relaxed, but only marginally. He walked slowly towards the bar and grabbed himself a drink. Klaus was replaying the passed twenty minutes in his head. While he was originally more than willing to let everything play out, he couldn't. She had to stay gone. Mystic Falls seemed to have some kind of vendetta against the young woman. It seemed to want to drag her down with everyone else and he couldn't sit back and watch it happen.

~~~!~~~

K was seething as she made her way back to the hotel. For a moment she didn't realize how bad she must have looked, she was too angry to think about it. Embarrassment surged through her and it quickly shifted to rage. She'd just opened herself up as much as possible to have Klaus push her away. Klaus… pushed her away… pushed _her_ away? Are you joking? Who the hell did he think he was?

Catching a reflection of herself, K realized quickly she couldn't go anywhere in public the way she looked. She didn't have anywhere to go before thinking of someone who might help. Bonnie. Reaching for her phone, K called the witch and asked her for a favor. She needed to be presentable before leaving town. Thankfully Bonnie agreed, though it was more to check on K's mental health. When Bonnie heard the knock on her back door, she couldn't believe what she saw. K was standing there in a new shirt with blood drying on her skin that hadn't been there before. Bonnie raised a brow.

"You okay?"

K's face fell and she pouted. It was slightly sarcastic, but there was honesty behind it.

"I hate this city."

Bonnie laughed before she could stop herself and nodded slowly. She stepped aside.

"Come on in."

"Thanks." K mumbled. "Bathroom?"

"Through there." Bonnie pointed to a door just off the hallway they were standing in. K nodded and walked inside while Bonnie followed lazily after her. She quickly realized something off. "Who's shirt is that?"

K paused. She was in the process of slashing her face with water when Bonnie spoke. K daringly glanced up through the mirror to see her friend leaning against the threshold, her arms crossed and a brow raised. K said nothing for a moment, but returned to cleaning her skin.

"Really?" she asked after a moment or two. It was obvious she knew who's shirt K was wearing, she was only giving the vampire a chance to explain. "With Klaus?"

K flinched, but still didn't speak as she started wiping off her neck.

"With _Klaus_ though? Really?"

"Nothing happened." She mumbled under her breath.

"You're wearing his shirt."

"Mine was… It's not what you think." She defended weakly.

"Then explain it to me, please." Bonnie said. She noticed K's expression fall, but honestly, she had to know. "I just don't get it. How can you have feelings for someone like that?"

K's shoulders slumped. She couldn't look in the mirror because she knew her periphery would spot Bonnie's disapproving looks.

"He didn't used to be like that." She said under her breath. She chewed on her lip briefly before looking again into the mirror to finish cleaning herself. "At least not to me."

"You do know what he's done though, right? How many people he's tortured and killed, just in Mystic Falls. He has no conscience. He does whatever he wants just so long as he _gets_ what he wants."

"I know." K replied sternly. "Look, it doesn't matter anymore anyway. Okay? I thought there was some chance he was in there somewhere, but not anymore. He's just a shell."

Bonnie could tell K wasn't sure what to think, she could see the confusion and it made the witch feel bad for her friend. While Bonnie didn't exactly agree with K's choice in men, whatever she felt for Klaus was apparently real enough to spin her around. That's what made her pity K to be honest.

And K was lost. She hated everything around her from the people to the places. She hated all of it. The only one who didn't seem to have some sort of motive or desire to gradually make her go insane was Bonnie.

As she removed the last few traces of blood from her skin and dried off, K turned around and looked at her friend. They both seemed to share the same saddened gaze.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Bonnie asked.

"Wouldn't you?" K joked lightly.

"Oh yeah," Bonnie smiled. "I'd want to put as much distance between me and Klaus as possible."

K laughed lightly and nodded her agreement. She took an apprehensive step forward and Bonnie knew what she was silently asking. Bonnie reached forward and hugged K tightly.

"Take care of yourself." K said softly, squeezing Bonnie slightly when she spoke.

"I will."

K pulled back and gave Bonnie a stern look.

"I'm serious." She said heavily. "I know everybody comes to you to do all this magic, and you're willing to help them out, but you have to be careful. I've been around enough witches to see how bad things can get."

Bonnie smiled weakly, but the emotion never made it to her eyes. The smile was a lie, they both knew it.

"I'll be fine." She said, stressing the words slightly as though it would help put K at ease. "Promise."

K sighed and shook her head, but a weak smile tugged at her lips.

"Stubborn, every single one of you witches, stubborn."

"Family trait." Bonnie laughed. K agreed. Bonnie's smile faltered a bit. "Be safe, okay?"

"You know me." She smiled.

"That's the problem." Bonnie shot back jokingly. "You're too loyal for your own good. It's going to get you hurt…" Bonnie paused when she spoke. She suddenly realized it already had and by her friend's hands no less. She shrunk away slightly and gave K and apologetic glance. "Sorry."

K shrugged and hugged Bonnie one final time.

"Call me if you need me." She said as they parted. "You might be the only one I'd still help."

Bonnie thanked her and K left shortly after.

When she made it back to the hotel she wasn't surprised to see her things in the lobby and a very angry owner waiting for her. She paid for the damages she'd created then compelled him to give her another room so she had somewhere to sleep before her flight the following morning.


	27. Chapter 27

**Now, before anyone gets angry, this was gonna have to happen at some point considering its right in the middle of the breakaway from Originals and Vampire Diaries and I think it gave K a nice final break from Mystic Falls. And everything's subject to change down the line, but this is what it is right now. That being said, you guys are so awesome, all of you. I love seeing all the reviews and comments. Enjoy!**

Chapter 27

K spent weeks to herself on the other side of the country. She spent weeks trying to find a life, weeks trying to fit in and weeks trying to forget about Mystic Falls. She failed.

K couldn't stop thinking about everyone, people she liked and people she didn't. Her life had grown so boring, so mundane and she wasn't built for that. She was a hunter, a predator, something made the move, to fight and to defend. She wasn't meant to play house and pretend to be human. What self- respecting vampire played human? But that wasn't all of it. For a few days, K had felt something was wrong. She couldn't explain the feeling, just that something was _off_.

She didn't like it. K had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right. She couldn't tell what, but she knew something was so very, very wrong. But what was she supposed to do about it? Bonnie hadn't messaged her in anyway telling her she needed the vampire's help and it wasn't as though she was on speaking terms with anyone else. So what was she supposed to do about the icky feeling that was making her skin crawl? Nothing.

As K sat on her bed folding her laundry –one of the few things that vampires and humans did alike- she felt a shift in the air. Have you ever felt a room shift when another person walked in behind you? That's how it felt. With narrowed eyes, she looked around and saw nothing. Her apartment was wide open, a studio styled floor plan which meant she could see absolutely everything aside from her bathroom, and she knew there wasn't anyone in there.

Gently setting the jeans she was folding down on her bed, K did her best to listen, to see, anything that would help put her more at ease. None of it helped. There was something in the room with her and she couldn't see it.

"Hello?" she asked, immediately feeling stupid for speaking to no one.

But the energy grew. It felt like whatever was in the room moved closer. Her eyes narrowed further. For some reason, K stuck out her arm. She moved it gently from side to side before feeling it pass through something cold. Electricity shot through her body and in that moment K realized what was in her apartment.

She shot back in horror; staring at the corner of the bed she felt the cold spot. She shook her head, refusing to believe her own intuition.

"Bonnie?" she asked, the name barely leaving her lips.

The spirit sitting on the edge of K's bed stared in surprise at the vampire.

K felt lost. She knew she didn't feel what she thought she felt. It was impossible.

Since she couldn't perform real magic, K did the one thing she could. She threaded off her necklace –removing it for the first time since it had been given to her- and let the pendant slide down the chain until it was stopped by the clasp, effectively turning it into a pendulum.

"Bonnie, if…" K paused when she felt a hitch in her throat at the possibilities. She cleared it before speaking again. "If that's you move the pendant."

K held her arm as still as possible. It was easy given what she was and the necklace wouldn't move from trivial things like her breathing or heartbeat. But slowly, to her horror, the pendant began to sway from side to side. K immediately felt her eyes burn with the thought of tears.

Unable to speak or tell her friend she was there, Bonnie stared sadly at K. She'd meant to remain invisible, but she should have known better. K had spent centuries with her family. It shouldn't have surprised the young witch that the vampire was in tune with the power coursing through the Bennett line. And she was. That's the only reason K knew someone else was there and how she could identify it. She'd spent her entire vampire life with the Bennetts and it rubbed off on her. She knew how their power felt, how the magic that coursed through their bloodline felt. And this feeling was new, too young to be Grams which meant only one other person.

K gripped the jeweled pendant to stop it. She closed her eyes, a few tears escaping in the process, and took one steadying breath after another. After a moment she steeled her reserve and released the pendant again.

"Side to side means no." she said softly, her voice hitching as she spoke. "And clockwise means yes. Understand?"

Bonnie's brows pulled together so tightly it would have hurt. She wanted to speak, but didn't. Instead she concentrated her energy and began to poke at the pendant. With a few guiding jabs, it began to swing clockwise. K nodded and again halted its movement.

"Are you…" her breath hitched again. "Are you dead?"

It was a valid question. Witches, some of them at least, could astral project. They could send a phantom self to any destination they chose, so it gave K hope. Until the pendulum swung clockwise.

The tears came again. K's arm fell and she looked down. She shook her head as she cried softly. She didn't want to lose her composure with Bonnie sitting in front of her, but it was difficult not to shed at least a few tears.

"Oh Bonnie," she sighed. K pressed her hand to her lips to try and steady her wavering voice. Bonnie watched on, wishing she could cry to or at least comfort her friend somehow. "What happened?" K asked before she could stop herself. She quickly realized she wouldn't get an answer and shook her head to wave it off. Instead she gradually lifted the necklace again. "How come no one told me? Don't they know?"

The pendant began to swing side to side then clockwise and counter clockwise. Bonnie was just poking at it, sending it in all directions. K's brows pulled together as she tried to interpret the answer.

"Yes and no." she mumbled. "Some know, but not everyone?"

The necklace soon found direction and swung clockwise. K nodded gently and stopped the swinging jewelry. She paused as she thought about what else to ask that could be answered so simply. Her mind reeled with things until she suddenly focused on one important question. Her face went dark immediately.

"Did Klaus do this?" she asked with a growl.

Bonnie understood the sentiment even though it obviously bothered K to ask. She waited impatiently as the pendant began to rock from side to side. K couldn't believe how relieved she was to hear the answer, but in the end it barely helped. Again K's head fell.

"I'm so sorry." She muttered. "I should've been there. I should've protected you."

She buried her face in her hands –the necklace hanging limply as a result- and cried. The guilt swept through her more intensely than anything she'd felt before. If' she'd been there, if Bonnie hadn't released her from the blood bond, K could have saved her. She could've saved the only friend she had.

Without warning the necklace began to rock from side to side. Bonnie couldn't stand seeing K so sad about her being gone and felt like she had to say something. K hesitantly pulled back and noticed it, but it did little to help.

"But I gave my word. I was supposed to,"

Before she could finish, the gentle sway became more violent than before, nearly forcing the chain to wrap around K's fingers. Apparently it was Bonnie's way of angrily telling K to stop blaming herself. It caused her to smile gently and grab the pendant before Bonnie inadvertently broke her daylight gem.

"Okay, okay," she said softly. Bonnie smiled weakly. "But… are you okay? I mean, as much as you can be I guess?"

Slowly the pendant moved again in a wide circle. She didn't know if it was a lie or not, but Bonnie felt the need to try and reassure K as much as she could. K slowly nodded. She stopped the swinging.

"Are you going to tell everyone?" the necklace spun. K nodded again. "When… when you finally do tell everyone, if they have a thing for you," she couldn't make herself say funeral. "I want to be there too, okay?"

The necklace spun again and K felt better for it. She thought for a moment of what else to ask, but nothing came right to mind. She wanted to know what happened, who'd killed her and everything else, but they weren't questions that could be answered with yes or no.

Without warning, the air shifted and the energy she'd felt before was suddenly gone. K's brows pulled together slowly. She looked around, but she couldn't feel it anymore.

"Bonnie?" K asked weakly. There was nothing. She was gone.

Without an audience, K finally broke. She cried for her friend, for the one she was meant to protect, the one who'd saved her and the one that was gone. Burying her face in her hands, K let the guilt wash through her body and consume it entirely.

~~~!~~~

K didn't remember much after that. She remembered Jeremy calling her and telling her they were having a memorial for Bonnie. She remembered him saying something along the lines of Bonnie wanting her there. K didn't know he was a medium. She remembered suddenly being in Mystic Falls and she remembered setting a rose down in Bonnie's memory.

No one said anything to her, not really. Caroline approached and hugged her because –after all- Caroline never did anything to hurt K. The young vampire said she was sorry and that she knew K loved Bonnie. Jeremy offered his condolences, so did Tyler and even Damon gave her an acknowledging head nod. Stefan and Elena only watched from the background. K spoke briefly to those who spoke to her, but she only remained for a few sparse moments. She couldn't do much longer.

Her eyes had never entirely dried. She didn't know what to do. She felt like she was letting down generation upon generation of Bennetts, a lot of which had actually been her friends through the centuries. K felt so guilty in fact that she paid their graves a visit and broke down again before she left. She apologized profusely for letting them down. Even though she technically wasn't bound to the family anymore, she still felt unbelievable guilt.

Her flight left the same day and she was happy for it. K refused to linger. She refused to sink back into whatever hell surrounded Mystic Falls. Without bothering to divert from her very tight schedule, K was gone and on her way back to California before anyone or anything could suck her back into it. She actually spent more time on the plane than she did in Virginia.

~~~!~~~

Something happened to her. Something inside K had changed after failing to protect Bonnie. She didn't know there was no real way for her to save her friend, that Bonnie had done magic too much for her body to handle when she brought back Jeremy, but that didn't stop K from thinking there was something she should have done. She replayed the events –things she honestly didn't know and hadn't seen- over and over in her head to see if there was something she could have done. K was blaming herself for an impossible situation.

She sat in her bathtub, her knees to her chest and her chin resting on them as she stared blankly at the white tiled wall and the shiny silver knobs. Her mind would swim with thoughts, then settle, then repeat again. It gave her a headache and while what she was feeling wasn't anything new, it wasn't an easier either.

Her phone ringing brought the young woman out of her thoughts. She reached over to the small wooden stool beside the tub and answered it without bothering to notice who was calling her. She ensured the speaker feature was on before returning to her previous position.

"Yeah?" she asked absently.

No one immediately replied. The line was open, she could tell that much, but whoever was on the other side wasn't talking. Before she could ask who was there, they made themselves known.

"_Kultaseni."_ A familiar voice answered in a familiar language.

K felt a jolt of electricity course through her body at the nickname and the fact he was calling her in the first place. She tried to relax again and remember that he wasn't in her home, only on the phone, before speaking.

"Hello Niklaus." She greeted begrudgingly. "What do you want?"

"_To offer condolences, nothing more."_

K turned a skeptical gaze to the phone.

"For what?"

He paused. Klaus didn't want to tell her more than she needed to know, and she didn't need to know that he was in tune with her enough to sense something incredible wrong with her. After the sheer amount of his blood she'd ingested a bit of it remained behind. That and, well, Klaus was never one to let his things wander too far without knowing what was happening with them.

When he didn't speak and offer K a reason as to how he knew she was mourning a friend, her patients began to waver. But as annoyed as she was with him, K didn't have the strength to keep up a fight. Instead she sighed and dropped her knees. The water splashed gently before settling around her again.

"_Are you bathing?"_ Klaus asked. There was a hint of a smile in his words. K cocked a brow to her phone as though he would have been able to see her irritated look.

"Yes." She said simply. "Why are you calling me Niklaus?"

He sighed softly. _"I know how personally you take things like this. You shouldn't."_

"She was a friend of mine. How should I take it?" she asked with an edge to her words.

"_She was human." _He said without malice.

"She was a child."

Klaus wasn't trying to fight, but the subject was touchy and K had trouble seeing his words as little more than an attack. K seemed to realize she was being mean without provocation and despite it being with Klaus, it wasn't fair. And again her strength for a prolonged fight wasn't there.

"She was younger than me when I died." She answered softly, picking at her nail polish in the process. "It just doesn't seem fair."

And then he said something she never expected him to.

"_It never is."_

K turned a skeptical and confused gaze to the phone. If she didn't know any better, Klaus was being sympathetic. She didn't know how she felt about it. Honestly, the sentiment put her a bit on edge.

Silence stretched between them for a moment again.

"_I'll leave you to your bath."_ Klaus finally said and with that he ended the call.

K still continued to stare at the phone, wondering what the hell his phone call meant and why he'd bothered with it in the first place. It made her shoulders tense. She didn't like it. Something was different.

~~!~~

Time continued to move for Kalli as though nothing had happened. It acted like her remorse and sadness meant nothing, but what did she expect? Time was kind of a bitch. But she should have known better. She should have taken solace in the fact death was a temporary state in their world.

~~~!~~~

"_Have you called K yet?" Jeremy asked as he held Bonnie's hand. He couldn't fight the smile it brought out._

"_No." Bonnie replied, gently shaking her head. "And I'm not going to."_

"_What?" he couldn't hide his shock. "Why?"_

_Bonnie turned to him with glassy, pink eyes and he could tell she didn't come by her answer lightly._

"_She finally has her life back. If I call her now and tell her I'm back, she'll come here and probably never leave." She said, a weak smile tugging at her lips at the thought of having K constantly hovering around like an overprotective shadow. But the smile faded again. "She's been protecting my family for so long, she deserves a chance to have her own life, do whatever she wants to do. She has to keep thinking I'm dead."_

_Jeremy's brows came together tightly at the sadness in Bonnie's eyes. He reached forward and hugged her tightly, telling her he'd keep the secret if she wanted him to. For now.  
_


	28. Chapter 28

**And now, we're in the Originals. :) But seriously, I have GOT to stop uploading five chapters a day. I'm running out of stuff to upload. So, after this chapter, I'm updating once a day. Next one isn't coming till tomorrow, but I'll try to pu them up a little early in the day at least. Enjoy!**

Chapter 28

The Original Diary

Cold eyes watched from the center of the crowded room. The figure remained stock still, standing out against those going about their business as they spied on their target. The jet black eyes focused on one, barely paying attention to those surrounding it.

The young woman was talking to someone, another young woman of near the same 'age'. They held their steaming cups of designer coffee and chatted about nonsense. The one that held the sinister being's eyes was busy stirring sugar into her drink, ignorant to his stare.

The shopping area bustled around without a care, the two young women soon departing the coffee shop and gradually making their way through the crowd. When they pushed passed those blocking the door, the second young woman noticed something that made her stop in her spot. There was someone watching them. It drew her friend's attention.

A man stood in the center of the first floor of the mall looking up at them and met the young woman's gaze without hesitation. He stared unblinkingly at the teen with cold black eyes. He looked incredibly out of place surrounded by casual young people, standing as still as a statue in a black suit and blue tie, his hands in his pockets and his angular jaw tight.

The blond smiled as she sipped seductively on her coffee. The stranger didn't notice. His eyes remained fixed to the ebony hair girl whose face had gone pale.

"He's kind of hot." The blond muttered softly, her eyes gradually shifting to her catatonic friend. Her smile fell. "You okay?"

She managed little more than a lax jaw.

"You and I need to talk, Kalliope." He said in a cool, calm English voice, not bothering to yell because he didn't need to.

The black haired girl's mouth snapped shut immediately. K didn't speak for a moment, her body trembling just enough to see and her jaw tense and tight. She looked in pain.

"Piss off." She finally said, turning her back to the man down below and ready to walk in the other direction.

Her friend didn't understand what was happening, blindly following K away from the young man. They hadn't walked far before he appeared through the parting crowd, twenty feet in front of them. The stranger sighed and shook his head when the blond girl squeaked with shock, his smirk remaining as he placed his hands behind his back.

"I'll be seeing you soon child."

And without another word, he vanished from sight faster than a human could register. It made the blond begin to wonder if she'd seen him at all while K was terrifyingly sure.

"Wha…" she sputtered, her head having trouble catching up with what she'd seen.

K didn't speak as she ran her fingers through her hair and tried to focus, but it was difficult. The man who showed himself wasn't someone she ever wanted to see again. After a moment or two without speaking, K decided she no longer wished to be the center of attention.

"I should head home." She said, shuffling with her things and walking away.

~~~!~~~

K made it home without incident, but her mind was troubled. What the hell did he think he was doing showing up where she was? Why was he there? What was he planning to do?"

Her mind raced with worries and concerns. She didn't like the thought of that particular stranger finding her or that he flew to the other side of the country just to talk to her. None of them liked to talk. They all always had their own agendas and she wanted no part of it. That's why she moved to California.

Feeling the weight of seeing him pull down on her shoulders, K made her way into her apartment and wanted nothing more than to take a bath to relax. She wanted something to calm her down before she went out again that night to hunt. That wasn't however, what happened.

The moment K closed her front door and locked the latch, she felt there was something else in her apartment. As she flipped the switch and let the lights warm up and come on, she spotted a head over the top of a chair in her living room. She didn't have to guess to know who it was.

"I helped myself to something to drink." He said evenly, keeping his arm on the armrest with a glass of liquor in his hand. "I hope you don't mind."

K kept her eyes glued to him as she put her purse and keys on the bar top. Slowly and carefully, she stepped into her living room. When she made it to his periphery, he caught her eye and held it until she stood across from him.

"It wouldn't matter if I did." She replied.

He let a soft chuckle leave his lips, nodded more to himself than her and took another sip. They stood in an uncomfortable silence for a moment.

"Why the hell are you in my house, Elijah?" she finally asked.

He sighed before swallowing some of his drink.

"I remember you being more hospitable then this Kalliope." He replied leisurely, still enjoying himself it seemed. "I thought we'd moved passed the animosity."

"How do you figure that? You broke your word to me on more than one occasion. Why should I offer you anything? You're the one that should be accommodating."

"Perhaps." The stranger said coolly.

K growled to herself.

"Get out of my house Elijah, or I swear that I'll…"

"You'll what, child?" he dared. "Kill me? You can't. The only thing in this world that can isn't in your apartment. Or even on this side of the country for that matter, so don't bother with your idol threats."

"I don't want you here!" she suddenly yelled, losing her composure for the first time in a long while. "Get the hell out of my house you disgusting…"

Again she was cut short, but not by Elijah's words. The young man sped across the apartment faster than the normal eye could register. Elijah was suddenly holding K by the throat, high in the air against her wall length windows. He'd gone to her house with intent, but she seemed unwilling to have a civil conversation.

K on the other hand was still on edge from everything that had transpired the weeks prior. She'd lost friends, so many friends for so many reasons, had to deal with Klaus and his never ending irritation and now she had the other Mikaelson brother in her home. While not many had anything against Elijah –not truly- he still brought up rather painful memories for her. Not only had he killed her, but the part that hurt the most was him taking away her memories. He'd stolen eight years of her life and made her think something was missing for almost a millennia afterward. She hated him for that.

"I've had about enough of your impudence girl." He hissed. "I've been cordial enough to you. The least you can do is return the courtesy."

"Or what?" she growled. "You'll kill me?" K scoffed and stared defiantly down at the one holding her just firmly enough she couldn't leave his grip. "You've already done that once before, haven't you?" he glared at her, but didn't refute the statement.

Elijah sighed and gradually released K. She didn't move, staying in her spot and letting him step away from her. She didn't want to show weakness, not to him.

"I've apologized for that, at length."

"You haven't, actually." She snapped. "In fact, you've never _once_ said you were sorry for what you did."

He flinched marginally. She knew Elijah well enough to see the things he did, he did out of preservation and love. He did it to keep his family safe because they were all he had. Unfortunately for K, she'd been the object in the way of their family's safety so she suffered his wrath for it.

"Why should I trust you? You've never given me any reason to after you left me to die."

"I did what I had to for my family."

K scoffed again and shook her head.

"There were a number of things you could have done instead of murdering me, Elijah, you just wanted me dead. Don't try to act as though you're more noble than that."

"You're right." He said, taking his seat again. "I did want you dead. You were a distraction. My brother never would have let you simply walk away. He'd have turned you himself given the chance."

She rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"He would have lost interest in me. You just couldn't wait."

"He loves you, Kalliope. Even a thousand years later, he loves you."

This time she laughed, openly and mockingly at his statement. Elijah cocked a brow, curious to her reaction.

"Please," she jeered. "I was nothing more than a shiny toy. I _am_ nothing more than a shiny toy to him."

This time Elijah chuckled and shook his head at her statement. He could tell she believed her words and she did. After the way he treated her in Mystic Falls, ignoring and leaving her for other pursuits, K knew she never would have kept Klaus's eye when she was still human. He was just possessive, that's all. He proved that. He didn't love her. He was infatuated with Caroline. The only reason he paid K even the slightest hint of attention was because he wanted to keep her nearby. In his mind she was still his property, nothing more. At least that was how she saw it.

Elijah's eyes fell to the drink in his hand. He swirled the last remaining bit before swallowing it in one swift gulp. Without speaking, he stood and made his way to the wet bar to pour himself a new one. Slowly, Elijah turned to her.

"You've no idea what happened after he thought you died in the fire." He said simply. She cocked a brow. It may not have been a question, but she gave him a look that let him know there was no possible way for her to know the answer. "One hundred and thirty-three. That was the number of villagers he slaughtered trying to find which of them had lit the house fire that supposedly killed you."

"Their blood is on your hands Elijah, not mine." She told him simply, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why are you really here?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled it gradually before meeting her eyes. His face turned darkly seriously.

"Niklaus is…" he paused, twirling the glass along the armrest. "It seems he's on a mission to get himself killed."

"And what exactly do you expect me to do about it? I'm not his baby sitter." She said. While she didn't sound overly rude, there was obvious agitation in her voice.

Elijah expected her answer, he truly did, but it didn't mean he liked hearing her speak so sourly about his brother. In truth she did it to protect herself. After everything that happened during her last encounter with him, she had no choice but to act like she didn't care. Maybe if she acted like it, one day it might become true.

"I like to think he is still in mourning at the moment, as we all are, and isn't thinking clearly. You know how he is. It is so easy for him to become blinded by his rage."

K let a weak laugh leave her lips as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but mourning what?" she asked.

Elijah's eyes turned colder than normal and she felt it.

"Jeremy Gilbert killed Kol a couple of weeks back." He said. Elijah's eyes dipped and he took a long drink of his alcohol. "I have now lost my second brother to that family."

K's face turned softer than before, her eyes saddening. Elijah noticed when he met her gaze again.

"I'm sorry, truly." She told him honestly. "He was the only one of you five that never laid a hand on me. Finn, on the other hand, you'll forgive me for dancing at his passing."

Elijah nodded slowly.

"I remember what he did, yes. But nevertheless, if someone doesn't intervene, Niklaus could likely get himself and many others hurt. I'm not willing to bury another and my only remaining brother."

"And what would you have me do Elijah?" she asked, throwing her arms in the air in frustration. "What honestly do you think I could do?"

"Speak with him. He will listen to you." He told her honestly.

K sighed, held her forehead in her hand as though she were getting a headache.

"No, he won't." She said, looking back to the man. "I hold no sway over him and even if I did, I can't be near him."

Elijah nodded slowly and looked around. Of the roses she once owned, only a few survived. There were a few vases, nothing compared to the original number, but the empty vases of the blooms lost were lining the walls and the bleeding heart plant was near the window. He raised a brow and met her eyes again. It was his brother's style and easily noticed.

"No sway?" he asked rhetorically.

"Those aren't what you think they are." She muttered. K moved to the chair across from Elijah and sat. She ran her fingers through her hair and met his gaze. "He sent them to me because Bonnie died." K picked at her fingernails. "He was sending his condolences."

Elijah's brows pulled together briefly. Again he took inventory of the roses surrounding them. There were still a couple of dozen –give or take- and three vases that lay empty. He looked back to K.

"I thought you barely knew the witch?"

K shook her head. "I've been protecting her family for over nine and a half centuries."

He didn't bother hiding his surprise.

"Why?"

She didn't know why she answered. Elijah shouldn't have been someone she would confide in, but the words left her mouth before she could stop them. In the end it was Elijah's "super power". He lured people into a sense of comfort whether it was real or not.

"After you compelled me to forget about you and the others, I went North." She began. Elijah flinched slightly. He remembered it well. "I came across a man beating his slave. I have no idea why, but it made me so mad. I rushed forward and on instinct fed from him. I immediately stopped. I didn't know what was wrong with me, why I'd changed or started drinking blood. The girl was a witch. She was about to attack when she realized I didn't know what was happening. I was crying, panicked… I didn't know what vampires were or that I'd turned into one."

Elijah sighed and his head dropped. He'd forgotten he'd instilled that particular command into her mind as well. He couldn't imagine the fear she felt back then, the terror. K continued.

"It got worse when the sun started to rise and my skin was burning. The witch realized very quickly I didn't choose to turn and I guess took pity on me. She'd been running away when I found her because she found out she was pregnant and didn't have a choice, especially after I'd killed her _master_," she spat the word. "And made me a deal. She told me that if I bound myself to her with a blood oath, she'd help me understand what I was and control it. So I did, without hesitation. As far as I knew I was still an eleven year old girl that somehow turned into a monster.'

'She preformed the spell that bound me to her and her family line because she wanted her child safe as well. In return she gave me this," K showed him her gemmed necklace. "So I could protect them during the day. And that's how it went. From the time they were born until they had a child of their own, I watched over countless generations of Bennett witches until Bonnie."

"Forgive me for asking," he said out of respect given the question he was about to ask. He was simply too enthralled in the story not to know more. It was a curious tale. "Then why weren't you in Mystic Falls with her?"

"An escape clause to the spell was I only had to watch over the family until one of them released me from my contract. Bonnie released me earlier in the year, just before Niklaus broke the curse."

Elijah nodded slowly. He suddenly understood and found himself harboring more respect for K than he had before. It was something amazing to him that she'd given her life to another like she had.

"Then I am sorry." He told her honestly. She nodded her appreciation for the sentiment. "At least it seems you've made new friends."

K narrowed her eyes curiously. She didn't understand what he meant until remembering she'd been with someone when he came across her in the mall. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"That's Amy. She's a neighbor, not a friend. I don't know why, but she's taken to following me around. It's a little weird."

Elijah chuckled briefly. Somehow the air between them had lightened substantially. It was almost like old friends despite the opposite being true. Still, it was nice for a moment.

"I," Elijah began after a few moments of silence. Kalli looked up and noticed him hesitate to meet her gaze, but eventually did. "I am sorry, for what I did to you." She flinched marginally. "I gained your trust and I betrayed it. I apologize."

K didn't respond for a moment. She honestly never assumed Elijah would apologize for what he'd done so she wasn't sure how to react to it. But she felt a bit of relief at his words. Eventually, she nodded.

"Thank you." She answered under her breath.

"Hindsight being what it is, I wish I'd never reacted so prematurely." He sighed, sinking into his seat as he remembered how things were. "Niklaus's temper… Shortly after your implied death, his cruelty, anger, all of it knew no bounds. I think my brother cared for you more than even he realized. I suppose that's why I've tried to placate him all these years, to make up for what I'd done."

K fidgeted. She didn't like hearing other people tell her how they _assumed_ Klaus felt about her. It put her on edge because she didn't entirely believe them.

Again silence fell into the atmosphere and each sank into their own thoughts. Elijah had more than a few things weighing on his mind. He'd come to see K in hopes she'd help him wrangle his brother. After finding out Klaus was expecting a child, he knew he'd need whatever help he could get to bring Klaus onboard. If anyone might have been able to do it, it was K. She had a significant history with Klaus but without the consistent betrayal the siblings all shared. Of course, Elijah wasn't foolish enough to tell K the entire truth. He didn't know how she'd react at hearing the impossible news.

With a sigh, Elijah finally stood from his seat. He brushed his hands along his clothing out of reflex before meeting K's gaze.

"Consider it." He said. "I honestly believe you'd be able to help my wayward brother focus on what's most important. Family. Besides, a part of you must still care for him." Elijah's eyes traveled to the sketch K had framed hanging near her bed. She followed his gaze and immediately grumbled to herself. She daringly looked back at the tall Original and noticed his smirk. "I can always recognize my brother's work."

Without another word on the matter, Elijah turned and left. She was ready to breathe easier when Elijah hesitated by her bar. He set his glass down and he reached into his pocket.

"I'm heading back to New Orleans to try and salvage what little family I have left." He said, pulling out a small piece of paper that looked like a business card. "If you change your mind, this is where you will find me."

And with that, he exited the apartment without saying his farewell. In his wake, K was left with more to think about then she wanted.

She sank further into her seat and began to chew on her bottom lip as she thought. Did she care if Klaus was going to get himself hurt? ...Yes… Did she care about whatever it was happening in their lives? ...Yes… especially if it was important enough to bring Elijah to her door.

K cursed the fact she was so curious, so interested in what was happening to everyone else. But maybe that was the problem? Maybe that's what made her itch to find out what was happening?

Ever since leaving Mystic Falls and attending Bonnie's memorial, K had nothing left. She didn't have a job. She didn't have family or friends. She had nothing that kept her busy, kept her engaged or on her toes and it was leading to insanity.

So what the hell, why not? If anything, she could visit a city she'd never been to before. New Orleans, after all, was the home of the weird and supernatural, right?

~~~!~~~

**Layla, totalRandum, you guys are awesome. For realzies.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

One Week Later

Ep. 3

Haley continued to read Elijah's thoughts, hearing his voice in her head as she absorbed the words.

"_January24th, 1045,"_ Hayley felt a jolt at the date. It was so long ago. So very, very long ago. "_I fear I may have helped contribute to Niklaus's rage. Looking to years passed, he was happy with the slave girl from Mesembria, content, a feeling I have not seen from his since unless he is reveling in the carnage he's created. I've begun regretting my killing her.'_

"_In truth she did me and my family no harm, but Niklaus's growing infatuation of the Thracian girl Kalliope had caused unneeded tension and he risked our exposure daily. But it has been almost a decade since her death and I fear it still burns too new for him. Everything he does from this point on, I fear, may be my cause."_

Loud talk about her in the other room made Hayley stand. She walked in to see Rebekah and Klaus arguing with one another, a common occurrence since the blonde's arrival. Hayley demanded to know the plan, to know what was going to happen so she could, at minimum, be prepared for it.

She didn't like what they had to tell her, but there was nothing she could do about it. Hayley's only choice was literally nothing. She had to sit back and watch as they did whatever it was they planned to do, regardless of what might happen.

When Klaus was gone and Rebekah was ready to leave, there was a knock at the door. The blonde shot Hayley a stare. Hayley simply shrugged.

"I'm not expecting company." She said.

Rebekah growled to herself and answered the door, surprised by who she saw on the other side of the threshold. Her imposing stature relaxed enough Hayley felt it was safe to step forward. A young woman was standing with Rebekah. She seemed familiar to the wolf, but it took her a little while to try and place the stranger.

"Kalli, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Rebekah asked with a sigh.

K smiled crookedly to the short tempered blond. While her and Rebekah had kept it mild contact since their collective departure from Mystic Falls, they weren't _buddy-buddy_ enough to keep constant tabs on one another. K was just as surprised to see the blond.

"Oh come on Rebekah, don't be like that." She teased. "Maybe if you ate a puppy, you'd be in a better mood?"

Rebekah scoffed a laugh at the comment, much to Hayley's surprise.

"Oh dear sweet Killiope," she mocked, delighting in the cringe hearing her full name caused K. While she didn't _hate_ her name, there was a reason she'd shortened it through the centuries. "So very clever."

"Your name's Kalliope?" Hayley asked suddenly.

Hayley had felt a twinge of remembrance at the name. She couldn't help it, not only had she read it, but she remembered hearing it before in Mystic Falls. The name seemed to be echoing around the Original Family. When she spoke, Hayley took wide steps forward so she was in the raven haired woman's line of sight. K raised a curious brow, an expression mimicked by Rebekah.

"And you know my name how, exactly?" K asked.

Her eyes fell to Rebekah who only shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I've only been here for two days." She replied. "Perhaps Nik's mentioned you."

There was a teasing tone to her voice that made K roll her eyes and Rebekah smile because of it.

"No, I uh… I read it in Elijah's journal." Hayley replied. "You're supposed to be dead."

"Not entirely." K said under her breath. "Can I come in or are we going to keep talking on the porch?"

Rebekah stepped aside and let her into the home she shared with her brother. K nodded her thanks, her eyes falling to the young brunette.

"Who are you?"

"That's Hayley," Rebekah sighed, shutting the door. "Klaus's baby mama."

K's eyes went wide. She spun on her heel to face the sibling of the man in question.

"_You're lying."_ She said in a language Hayley didn't understand.

Rebekah's smile widened slightly. She shook her head.

"_Nope,"_ she answered in the same tongue. "_Apparently Nik's going to be a father."_

_"Are you sure it's even his?" _K asked. There was an edge to her voice that sounded suspiciously like jealousy.

_"The others seem sure of it. Personally, I'm not as certain."_

K looked as though she were going to be sick, something Hayley didn't understand, but Rebekah seemed to find amusing.

"I take it that wasn't the news that brought you here?" Rebekah teased in English.

"No," K answered in a soft voice. "Elijah never mentioned,"

"You spoke with Elijah? When?"

There was a tone to Rebekah's voice that demanded an answer and a quick one, but K was having trouble focusing.

"A week ago." She said after a few steadying breaths. She really did feel like she might lose her lunch. "He came to my home, told me Niklaus was in trouble, not…" her eyes fell to Hayley's stomach. "Not that he'd _bred._"

"And you came running? How sweet." Rebekah mocked.

"If you don't play nice, I'm going to shove a dagger right through you."

The two were toying with each other and it was obvious, even to Hayley. That made her uncomfortable. The werewolf didn't like how at ease the pair was with each other.

"So, I think it's safe to say you have everything under control here." K said under her breath. She found it hard to look away from Hayley's stomach. She could even hear the heart beat. It made her skin wriggle. "Let me know how it goes, if the little monster's got it's mother's eyes or it's father's fangs."

K started towards the door, but Rebekah reached out for her.

"Wait," she chimed forcing K to pause. Rebekah approached and looked K squarely in the eyes. "Stay. You may be what we need to keep Nik in check."

K cocked a brow. Rebekah could tell she might need a bit more convincing.

"You're already here so you might as well stay." She said simply.

"Why should I?" she dared.

Rebekah openly sighed and rolled her eyes. A plan began to form in her mind that made an almost wicked smile form.

"I've an errand to run. Why don't you join me and we'll see if we can't get you to stick around for a bit longer."

The wicked smile was contagious and K found it touching her lips as well.

"What are you planning little Rebekah?"

"Just a bit of mischief. Come on." Without waiting for her to answer, Rebekah began to drag Kalli out of the house regardless. "Oh," she chimed just before closing the door. Rebekah looked to Hayley. "It would be in your best interest not to tell Niklaus she's in town." And she closed the door.

Hayley didn't know what was happening. She remembered seeing K in Mystic Falls. It took her a minute, but she recognized her as the girl who'd killed the hunter and kissed Klaus in Tyler's backyard. Given what she ended up reading in Elijah's journal, perhaps it wasn't so outlandish, but she and Rebekah looked as though they were friends. Who was this chick and why was she so comfortable around the Originals?

~~~!~~~

The pair walked along the streets in the quarter while the rain fell without inhibition. It was beautiful, in a way, if you could get over the sticky heat. After all it was still ninety degrees.

"So, why exactly have you guys decided to make this your new hunting grounds?" K asked, eying the sea of tourists surrounding them.

"Because we built this city." Rebekah said proudly. "The three of us. It was home once and we want it to be again. Well, Nik does. Personally, I'm just here to help get Elijah back."

"Do I even want to know what's happened?"

Rebekah shrugged. She spotted the curios shop down the street and knew they were close.

"Haven't you forgotten something?" Rebekah asked leadingly despite not bothering to look at K when she spoke. The vampire narrowed her eyes curiously at the Original. When Rebekah caught sight of the glance, she elaborated. "Why are you really here. Were you truly worried about Nik's wellbeing or did you just miss him?"

K grumbled under her breath which made Rebekah smile cheekily to herself. While she might not have been entirely comfortable with the thought of someone loving Klaus –not really understanding why it was K to be honest- she delighted in teasing her just like any teenage girl would one of her friends about a high school crush.

"You missed him, didn't you?"

"No." she answered quickly. Rebekah noticed she answered just a bit _too_ quickly. K sighed because she noticed it too. "I missed _everything._ I was going insane sitting there, doing the normal mundane human things. It was just so boring."

"Aw, you miss a bit of the action?"

K averted her eyes and she couldn't fight the desire to nod. She really did hate doing nothing, sitting idol while everyone around her was doing something exciting. Even if it was likely to get her or a lot of people killed, that was their life. She was a vampire, not a human being. She wasn't meant to sit there and pretend.

Rebekah understood the sentiment. It was a bit insane in a way, but she understood it. Rebekah thrived in the action too. The only thing that ever took her away from it was when she found someone to live her life with. Without that, she needed the drama and action.

Her phone began to ring. Rebekah dug into her pocket and pulled it out. Seeing the name, she pressed her finger to her lips to silence K before answering. Within seconds K knew why.

Rebekah talked of war with her brother, about what they planned to do to get Elijah back. It peeked K's interest. Something fun was happening in New Orleans and she felt a bit happy for visiting. They continued to speak until Rebekah stopped in front of the voodoo shop. When they hung up she noticed an expecting stare from K.

"Elijah's been daggered and hidden away by Marcel." She said simply as though it would explain everything.

"Who the hell's Marcel?" she asked. K didn't have to guess about the dagger. The only one who knew about them and could use them without dying was Klaus. That was a straight enough explanation.

Rebekah smiled. "He's your baby brother."

K cocked a brow. While it was obvious Klaus had sired other vampires through the years, she was a little surprised to hear one of them was so close and a direct descendant. Rebekah seemed to enjoy her shock when another approaching body caught her attention. The smile faded and K turned to spot the brunette walking forward.

"Ah, there you are." She said with annoyance. "Elijah only lies daggered and rotting whilst you dilly-dally."

"You're lucky I came at all." She snapped. "What do you want?" and then she caught sight of the newcomer. "And who the hell are you?"

"Kalli, meet Sophie. Sophie, Kalli." Rebekah introduced halfheartedly before turning her attention straight to Sophie. "Hayley was attacked last night by Marcel's crew because somebody told them there was a werewolf in the Quarter. She only made one stop. Whoever saw her here ratted her out. Now watch and learn."

Sophie wasn't sure how to comprehend what was happening while K smiled to herself. She followed Rebekah into the shop and eventually Sophie did too.

As Rebekah thoroughly terrified the young witch in charge of the store, K found herself slinking through the isles, reading labels and looking at the supplies being sold. Half of it seemed genuine while the rest was for the tourists. After spending so long around witches, she could recognize the real deal. It didn't help her in the end since vampires couldn't even do herb magic –being abominations and all- but she at least knew her stuff.

"Come on." Rebekah said, tugging gently on the sleeve of Kalli's coat, indicating they were leaving.

K let the bracelet she was looking at slide back through her fingers and fall into place again before following after the Original. Rebekah quickly went about telling Klaus what she'd found out. Apparently it was something interesting, though K didn't recognize any names being told. When she finished, she motioned for Kalli to step just a bit further away from the two witches so they could talk.

"How long are you staying in town for?" Rebekah asked. She knew K had a habit of putting time limits on her visits no matter where she went.

"About a week." She answered. Rebekah seemed surprised and K shrugged. "I've never been here before. I figured if anything I could see the city."

Rebekah smiled her approval and nodded.

"Well, there's a party tonight. You should come."

"What's it for?"

"Marcel is throwing a charity ball and seeing as I'm going to secure one distraction for the evening," she looked K up and down, sure to show her a sly grin. "Why not secure a second?"

K didn't seem amused. She didn't like being thought of as a pawn in their incredibly elaborate game of chess. Rebekah seemed to realize that was how her offer was coming off. She didn't insult K by beating around the bush. With the young vampire, Rebekah decided to be blunt and upfront about the parts she wanted her to play. Honestly, K preferred that. She was more likely to do something if just asked and not manipulated.

"Look," Rebekah said with a hint of a sigh. "Aren't you tired of playing the good girl all the time, or the kid sister?" K fidgeted slightly. "You're – and I cannot believe I'm saying- not bad looking." K glowered at the sideways comment, but Rebekah only smiled lightly. "Why not make Nik sweat for once? He clearly thought you were attractive when you were human and it's not as though you've changed in a thousand years."

"Not that that isn't a _wonderful_ plan, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm not very good at the sex appeal thing."

"Oh come on. Every girl is born with the talent. If not, what's the saying? Fake it 'til you make it?"

K laughed at Rebekah using such a stupid and played out saying to convince her. Rebekah smiled too and caught sight of Sophie and Katie finishing their conversation. She looked back to K to relay her point before the conversation was going to have to end.

"If you put a little effort into it, you could have Klaus wrapped around your little finger." Rebekah said, honestly meaning every word of it. "Think about it. I've got to take Sophie back home and finish the plan. I won't tell him you're here, but consider coming to the ball. Okay?"

"I'll think about it."

Rebekah nodded and headed off towards Sophie. K remained where she was and thought for a moment or two before coming to a conclusion.

~~!~~


	30. Chapter 30

**I lied... I just had to put this up so you guys don't think k's a weakling. lol. But seriously, I have to stop. haha. I've only got like four chapters in the bank right now so I'm posting a lot faster than I'm writing. But still, it's hard not to let you guys read it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 30

K made her arrangements with the hotel, laid her herb mixture around the windows and in a wide arch in front of the door and even found herself a dress for the night. That was something she wasn't certain about, attending the gala. The only thing that helped solidify her decision was the masquerade portion. At least she could pretend to be someone else for a little while and play the _sexy mystery woman._ K scoffed and rolled her eyes. Even in her head the thought seemed ridiculous.

She set her dress on the King sized bed in her room and looked it over, fluffing and straightening the fabric when her phone began to ring loudly. K glanced to see a number she didn't recognize and assumed it was Rebekah.

"Hello?" she greeted upon answering, pressing her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder and grabbing the rest of her accessories.

"_Have you found a dress yet?"_

K paused. She stood a bit straighter than before and narrowed her eyes curiously.

"Have you been spying on me?"

"_Don't flatter yourself. Doesn't this mean you're staying for the dance?"_

"I guess." She said unenthusiastically. "I don't know how thought through this plan of yours is. I'm pretty sure your brother'd rather eat me or stick me in a deep dark cellar."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, one that went unnoticed by K. Instead she was busy inspecting the elaborate mask she found to match her gown.

"_Kalliope,"_ Rebekah began. Hearing her name, K twitched. It never boded well when someone used her full name and K knew it. "_I wish I could say it will get easier, but it won't. If anything it'll get harder."_

K didn't have to guess what Rebekah meant. She felt she already knew and she was right.

_"All you can do is take the upper hand in the whole thing."_

"Yeah well... I guess I'll see you tonight then." K said after a moment of nothing.

"_Good."_ She said with more ease than anything previously said in the conversation. "_Now then, remember, you have to look absolutely fabulous, but not better than me or I'll rip your hair out."_

She was teasing with a hint of truth that made K laugh. Rebekah was smiling on the other end of the line. With a farewell to each other, they hung up.

K tossed the device down onto the bed next to her dress. Her gaze turned back to the garment lain out, her shoes resting in their box just to the left of it and the mask still clutched loosely in her fingertips. The laser cut metalwork was beautiful and she wanted very much to wear it regardless of the occasion.

Tossing the mask onto the dress, K took in the sight once again, her entire costume on display. Her hands moved to her hips and she thought. She thought about the way Klaus seemed to always make her _feel_ things. It didn't matter what it was, fear, anticipation, worry, happiness, whatever the emotion, he could bring it out. K hated it. It meant he was the one in control and it wasn't fair.

Her brow began to rise. Maybe it was her turn. Maybe she should be the one to try and dominate their encounters, the one that remained in control. At least then, after every confusing thing that had happened between them, K could keep her sanity.

~~!~~

The relatively modern music echoed through the courtyard. Ribbon dancers hung from their supports, swaying and twisting up and down the fabric in hypnotic rhythm. Women with snakes gyrated and red confetti hovered in the air. It was amazing. Whatever someone might think of him, Marcel was a masterful party planner.

Klaus and Rebekah remained in the background near the bar, staring at Marcel dancing with Cami and both hating their respective person of interest. Klaus found himself hating Marcel for dancing with the beautiful blond human and Rebekah found herself hating Marcel for the same reason. It was amazing the distaste they held for him.

Another song started up and Klaus felt himself wanting nothing more than for the plan to speed up. He knew that Thierry would likely kill his spy within the first hour of the party, but time seemed to be running a bit slower than he would have preferred. It was wearing thin on his nerves.

When his eyes scanned the area again, searching for even a hint of Marcel's minions, a flash of something caught his attention. Red, crimson and brilliant shined brightly against the monotone backdrop of the party. He'd thought originally it was nothing more than a flicker from one of the constantly tumbling pieces of confetti, but it wasn't. He felt his shoulders tense immediately and his jaw grew tight.

"What have you done, my dear Rebekah?"

Though the words would have otherwise sounded endearing, they were devoid of any emotion. Rebekah glanced sideways to her brother, expecting him to be remarking on Marcel again, but he wasn't. Following his line of sight, Rebekah saw the ruby colored distraction. A wicked smile graced her lips immediately.

"Well, well, well, look who it is." She taunted softly.

Klaus glowered at her out of the corner of his eye before proceeding towards the newcomer. Rebekah kept her grin, unable to remove the joy at seeing Klaus so thoroughly put off by their guest. And honestly, she was a bit proud of K's clothing selection.

Klaus slinked closer to her, unable to avoid the woman in the red dress. She stuck out as easily as Cami against the predominantly black wardrobe and drew just as many eyes. Her dress was not simply red either. It was brilliant red, as bright a crimson as the life giving liquid they all relied on to survive.

The bodice was tight, clinging to her body until mid-thigh, sure to show every curve she possessed. When the fabric did reach her thighs, it splayed out into a waterfall of fabric, not as drastically as Cami's gown, more gradual and looser without the fluff of tulle. Her hair was up like most of the other women, every ebony tress sculpted into perfect curls and a Venetian mask adorning her face, concealing nothing with its open metalwork, but adding allure to the outfit.

When he reached her, she stared as blankly at him as he did to her. He could see the brilliant green of her eyes shinning against the sultry black and grey, smoky shadow surrounding them. For a second or more neither moved until Klaus offered his hand. She seemed to think it over for a moment before placing her hand in his. Still keeping their eyes locked, the pair walked towards the dance floor.

They didn't blink. They didn't speak. They did nothing, but keep their eyes on the other.

When they made it a sufficient depth into the dance floor, Klaus brought her around him before pulling her to his chest. With a hand on her waist and the other clutched firmly within his, they began to move. It was a waltz, of sorts, but more than the simple swaying of those around them. And, as the last time they danced, the world and everyone in it began to disappear.

Rebekah watched from the sidelines and continued to smirk. While the display between her brother and K wasn't exactly heartwarming or affectionate, she knew otherwise. If Klaus wanted to stay away from her, he never would have offered his hand to K to dance. His walking to K and taking the initiative meant a part of him –no matter how small- wanted her there.

And they danced, ignorant to those watching or anything else that wasn't happening within the miniscule gap between them. Minutes seemed to pass before either spoke; when in reality it was little more than seconds.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus found himself asking. It was a valid question despite sounding oddly juvenile.

"I was invited." She replied carefully.

"Not at the party, though that will be another discussion." He said under his breath. "I mean in New Orleans. Weren't you in California last I heard?"

Her eyes began to smile before the grin touched her lips. It drew his gaze. If K was going to dominate the situation, shameless flirting might be a necessity.

"You know exactly where I was." She told him simply.

Klaus flinched whether he meant to or not. It solidified K's determination to remain superior.

"What's the matter Niklaus, not happy to see me?" she asked in a leading voice.

He could see her intentions were to do nothing more than bait him and honestly, Klaus wasn't above rising to the task. A smirk of his own began to form.

"Not that it isn't lovely as always, but now perhaps isn't the best time for reunions."

"I'd imagine." She said, spinning when he twirled them. "I met Hayley."

Klaus's face fell and was immediately devoid of any emotion. He wasn't sure what to say to her. If she'd met Hayley, it meant she traveled to his house and knew he was having a child. His only saving grace was, despite her coy exterior, Klaus was able to feel the hint of something else coming from her.

"Jealous?" he asked after a moment.

Her eyes narrowed marginally.

"Wary." She lied, offering something else instead.

Klaus chuckled darkly. He knew otherwise and so did she, but he let K have the illusion of fooling him.

The song continued to play, but was nearing its end. When it had, he spun and dipped the young woman. In the action, gravity pulled at the fabric of her dress and revealed a slit that glided nearly the length of her leg, one he hadn't noticed until he caught a glimpse of her thigh.

Slowly, Klaus pulled K up and into his arms again. He stared at her, examining the brilliant green of her eyes and the smoky makeup that accentuated them when something else caught his attention. Diego.

A vindictive grin graced his lips and K knew her time was up. Before he could say otherwise, she leaned forward and chastely pressed her lips to his cheek. The action shocked Klaus enough his body went rigid and his face went blank.

"Onnellinen metsästys." (happy hunting) She whispered.

Without another word or chance for Klaus to respond, she let go of him and moved fluidly away. He glanced over his shoulder as the red she wore disappeared into the crowd. A flicker of crimson was all he saw before she was gone entirely, like a figment that made him wonder if she'd ever been there to begin with. The only thing she left behind was the flowery jasmine scent of her perfume.

~~~!~~~

Klaus stood in the shadows watching Katie try her best to destroy Marcel and his minions. The hybrid had to admit he was a bit impressed with the power her fear induced rage brought out, but it wouldn't serve her well.

As though on cue, Klaus appeared and was the savior, snapping the girl's neck with little effort. He beamed with a smile, proud of what he'd done while Marcel thanked him completely. Klaus felt rejuvenated as his plan fell perfectly into place.

Leaving the Quarter with Marcel while his minions cleaned up the mess, a hint of something reached Klaus's nose. It was flowery, mildly sweet and stronger than the traces lingering on his suit. His smile faded and his eyes immediately began darting around to find the source.

The wind whipped around him and again he smelled it. Klaus's head shot upward and found her. High above the streets, K was standing on a balcony. The wind fluttered her dress and her mask was gone, resting gently in her grip as she looked down at him. Klaus's step paused. She crossed her arms and smiled slyly to him. K had seen everything and could tell Klaus had planned it.

Without a word, she gently began to clap. Klaus cocked a brow at her obvious approval. A smile of his own began to form and before he could blink, K disappeared from sight and again it was like she was never there.

~~~!~~~

K felt pretty proud of herself when she made her way back to her hotel room. The smile hadn't faded since leaving the Quarter. She felt good after leaving Klaus and that wasn't a claim she could have ever made before. This time she felt like she had the upper hand, like she was the one dictating which way the mood shifted and it gave her confidence to keep doing it. Rebekah was right, it was fun wrapping Klaus around her little finger. In a lot of ways, K felt she deserved it. Maybe some day she'd get him to worship at her feet, but she wasn't going to get ahead of herself. She wasn't likely to ever get that much control over him and if she did it could take years.

But she still felt good.

K tossed her mask onto her bed as the weighted door clunked shut behind her. Without a misstep she walked into the bathroom and began removing the rest of her adornments like the earrings. Everything else she either needed or simply always wore.

As she was in the process of removing the ridiculous amount of bobby pins holding her curls in place, K heard her phone beep in the other room. It was a text so she left it alone until she felt like retrieving it. That didn't come until after she'd taken a shower, removed her makeup and changed into her night clothes.

As she fell onto her bed, K reached for her phone and opened the message that had been waiting for her for nearly a half an hour. She was surprised by what she found and it only hardened her resolve.

_Klaus: You looked beautiful._

K smiled slyly to the message and typed back a simple _thank you_. Oh yes, she was going to make him submit. At the very least, K was going to spin him about as much as he enjoyed doing to her.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

_Rebekah: I'd like your help with something. Come to the manor._

That was the message that awaited K after she got dressed in the morning. She was curious, but assumed it might be something interesting.

K arrived at the Mikaelson Plantation soon enough and knocked. She heard Rebekah simply remark in her normal voice to enter so she did. She found the blond vampire sitting in the den while Hayley was talking to another witch. They eyed the newcomer strangely, but while Hayley already knew her and her fascination was short-lived, Agnes seemed more intent to stare. K raised a brow at the sight, but ignored them and proceeded to Rebekah. The blond glanced up over the edge of her laptop and K fell into a chair across from her.

"So," K sighed as she crossed her legs. "What's with the cryptic text?"

"I'm trying to find Elijah and you're going to help me." Rebekah said simply.

K nodded absently, her eyes lazily moving around the room. It was beautifully decorated, she had to admit, but that barely made her want to be there any more than before.

"And how, exactly?" she finally asked. "I thought you had no idea where he was."

"Not quite." She muttered.

K narrowed her eyes curiously. She was beginning to wonder why she'd bothered coming at all.

The witch continued to try and convince Hayley to attend the doctor. Apparently it only took a bitter jab from Rebekah to convince her completely. It was fairly obvious the blond was referencing herself in the generalized comment that some women would kill for a baby, but K had to admit she was among them. More than once in her long life she'd wanted to have a child of her own, a baby that was half her and not someone else's that she was simply babysitting. Biting back the hollow feeling, K watched the witch and the wolf stand and leave.

Rebekah went back to typing and K found herself about to ask what she was needed for when Klaus came sauntering into the room.

"Please sister, tell me you're not still toiling away with the internet search." He sighed before suddenly spotting the ebony haired vampire. He didn't know how he'd missed her considering he'd passed not a foot from her shoulder when he walked into the room. "Kalli, what are you doing here?"

"I asked her over." Rebekah said as she chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes never diverting from the laptop screen.

K smiled sarcastically as though she was saying, _yeah, that's why._ He narrowed his eyes briefly.

"Why?" he pressed.

"To find Elijah." K answered. "Apparently."

He cocked a brow and nodded slowly. Klaus turned his attention back to his sister.

"How does that work exactly?" he asked, continuing on his walk to the nearest bottle of liquor. "Just type in _anonymous attic_?"

"Someone has to find Elijah," she sighed. "Even if I have to search every bloody attic in New Orleans."

"Like looking for a needle in a rather large pile of needles." He mocked.

"I remember details. There were shutters in the windows behind the coffin." She said, growing tired oh Klaus's pressing.

"Well that should narrow it down immensely."

Klaus wasn't going to stop mocking and none of them expected him to. He stepped towards the pair and slid into the chair beside K. She glanced to him and he did the same before turning his attention back to Rebekah and continuing to mock her plan. K found herself rolling her eyes.

"Jesus." She sighed, letting her head fall against the back of the chair. "Sometimes I'm grateful I never had a family."

Her comment made the pair look at her curiously. She meant it which bothered them greatly. At times they could have agreed with her, but they still always loved at least one member of their family. Perhaps they would choose to trade one or two at different points in history, but they always went back to each other at some point. K's comment inadvertently gave them a slight look into her sad little life.

"Look," she said as though they weren't giving her pitied glances. She looked to Rebekah. "I might be able to help you remember. Up to it?"

Rebekah sat a bit straighter in her seat. She weighed the pros and cons of letting K do whatever it was she planned to do. It wasn't a fear of death that made her apprehensive, but after the dozens or more times she'd been betrayed by _friends_, Rebekah would be a fool not to be a bit skeptical.

Without waiting for an answer, K stood adjusted her shirt.

"It's painless, promise."

Rebekah sighed and decided she had nothing better to do for the moment.

"Come on." She waved for Rebekah to follow her.

"Where are we going?" Rebekah asked as she stood.

"We need to go somewhere without distractions."

Rebekah nodded and headed off towards the door while K followed. Klaus smiled slyly.

"Distracting, am I?" he asked slyly.

K turned when she reached the threshold and did something that shocked both who witnessed it. She winked at Klaus and blew him a kiss. His taunting grin faded immediately and he soon bore the same stunned expression as his sister.

"I take it," Rebekah began as she followed after K. "The two of you have warmed to each other."

"No, not really, but you're right. It is fun disarming your brother." She smiled.

Her comment forced Rebekah to laugh to herself. It was true. K knew that after everything that happened between her and Klaus that her showing sudden attraction or interest was enough to knock him off his game. It might end badly, but she couldn't see that at the moment. She was having too much fun taunting him.

In another room, K told Rebekah to sit down and close her eyes. Rebekah made a few comments about how K better not do anything to her –the distrust of the family knowing no bounds- but eventually did as she was told.

"Ok, just relax and clear your mind of anything but my voice."

"Wonderful." Rebekah grumbled.

K scoffed a laugh and rolled her eyes.

"Think back to the day you were in the attic." K kept her voice calm and monotone on purpose. She had to lull Rebekah into a calm state which was nearly impossible to do. "Can you see it?"

"Yes." Rebekah muttered.

"Are you talking to Marcel?"

"Yes, and the little girl, the witch."

"Good. Look behind him, what do you see?"

Rebekah's eyes clenched shut a bit harder than before as she pressed her memory.

"Candles." She began. "Wood. The walls are wood and slanted." She growled suddenly and opened her eyes. "Like a bloody attic. This is ridiculous."

K sighed and raised a brow.

"Close your eyes." She said sternly.

Rebekah glowered for a moment, wanting to protest, but honestly willing to do just about anything. Reluctantly she closed her eyes again.

"Now focus," K said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "What do you hear?"

Again Rebekah began to concentrate, something made obvious by the way her brows furrowed and relaxed.

"Nothing." She muttered. "It's quiet, too quiet. And everything smells old, covered in dust."

"Good." K encouraged. "Now the windows, you said the window had shutters."

"They were the only thing I got a good look at." Rebekah grumbled, opening her eyes to look at K. "Damn witch tossed me straight through them."

K giggled lightly, but stifled it when Rebekah glowered. K motioned for Rebekah to close her eyes again and did without as much fuss as she had before.

"What did the window look like? Was there glass? Were they large, small?"

"Large," Rebekah said. "They were large, but there was no glass and… and the tops were rounded."

"How far did you fall?"

"Two stories, at least." Rebekah said. She opened her eyes. "Well, that's more than I thought I'd remember. So, we're looking for an old, possibly abandoned building that's at least two stories tall with rounded windows."

Rebekah sounded annoyed, but it was more with the situation than K's memory technique.

"You see what you can find, I'm going to go and talk to Marcel's little pets." Rebekah said as she pushed herself up to stand. "Deal?"

"Sure." K nodded.

The pair began to make their way towards the front of the house and soon left.

~~!~~

They'd been searching throughout the day until the sun had set and the streets in the Quarter were flooded with music going locals and tourists alike. Rebekah was busy with one location while K found herself standing in front of a church. She cocked a brow curiously, eying the shutters and counting their similarities to Rebekah's description.

Still staring at them, K reached into her back pocket to retrieve her phone. She quickly called the blond.

"_Yes?"_

"I might've found your shutters." K said simply. "Saint Ann's Church. I'm outside."

And she hung up. K continued to stare at the church, consumed in darkness and admiring the building for what it was when Rebekah made herself known. She stood beside K and together they examined the building.

"These it?" she asked.

A slow smile crept across Rebekah's face.

"Well done Kalli, well done." She said before adding sarcastically. "Perhaps you're not as useless as I'd originally thought."

"Thanks, cause I've been weighing my self-worth on the opinion of a neurotic, thousand year old Viking vampire with delusions of grandeur." K replied in the same tone of carefree sarcasm.

Rebekah wasn't offended and instead said, "They're not delusions." K smiled to herself and shook her head. "Come along then. Let's go say hi."

K followed Rebekah into the church. It looked typical for what the building was meant for, but blood marred walls, floors and some of the furniture. K took it all in while Rebekah spoke to the priest. She didn't bother paying attention because she didn't really care about what they had to say. She wasn't interested until Rebekah again called for her to follow. K might have minded being called like a dog, but she didn't. Rebekah didn't do it with derision and honestly K was using it as a way to know when they were on the move. Again, she just wasn't so interested in what was happening to pay consistent attention.

The pair was stuck at the threshold to the attic for obvious reasons. Someone living was residing in the attic which meant nothing dead could enter. It was annoying to say the least, but that didn't stop Elijah from reaching out. He sucked Rebekah into a memory they shared and relayed his plans. She was less than enthusiastic about it, but gave her word that she'd protect Hayley. Rebekah even told him Kalli had made the trip to New Orleans which the older brother seemed to find amusing, but not surprising.

When they left abruptly without her brother, Rebekah relayed what happened. K was a little surprised, but didn't comment. She'd learned long ago to expect the random when it came to the Original family.

"So where is the prego wolf anyway?" K asked as they walked.

"Getting an ultrasound at that doctor's office."

"Isn't that in the middle of nowhere?" K asked, remembering something about the witch mentioning the bayou.

"I suppose, why?"

"And no one went with her?"

"The witches won't hurt Hayley. Apparently she has some special bond to Sophie. If anything happens to one, it happens to the other. They wouldn't kill her."

"Right. Because I'm sure no one would do anything if it meant hurting Klaus in anyway." K replied in thick sarcasm. Rebekah turned and eyed her. "Did he somehow grow popular since I've been gone?"

Rebekah seemed to weigh her words carefully before realizing that Hayley being alone probably wasn't the brightest or safest thing to do. She sighed her annoyance.

"Head back to the manor. I'll go trudging through the swamp to find this alleged doctor."

"Alright." K nodded heavily. "I'll let you know if she's there."

"Likewise."

And without another word, the pair branched off and sped into their own directions.

Of course Rebekah found her first and evidently there was trouble to be had. K had barely stepped foot inside the manor before getting a text from the woman that Hayley was taken and she needed help finding her. K cursed under her breath and raced off in the direction Rebekah had given her in the message. She made it just in time to see Hayley stumbling up to the clinic, Klaus and Rebekah standing in stunned shock at her appearance.

"Jesus." K breathed at the sight of Hayley. She looked like someone had put her through a grinder.

When Rebekah guided the dazed young woman to the steps so she could sit, Kalli approached. Rebekah was being comforting, Klaus brooding and all K could do was stare in awe that Hayley was entirely healed.

"How did you make it out? You were out numbered and they were ripped to shreds." Rebekah said.

"I… I think it was the wolf." Hayley answered cryptically. She looked up through her lashes at K –since she was the closest- before her eyes shifted apprehensively to Klaus. "I think it's trying to protect me."

Klaus started seething with the situation.

"The witches," he said through a clenched jaw. "They were supposed to protect you. When I get my hands on Sophie Deveraeux…"

"It wasn't Sophie, it was Agnes." Hayley interrupted.

"Fine." He snapped. It was obvious he didn't care. "Sophie, Agnes, it's all the same. I'll slaughter the lot of them."

"Niklaus, stop it." K sighed under her breath. While it might have been some kind of warning, it held no true tone one way or the other.

"No, you won't." Rebekah added. "Not if Elijah gets there first."

"Elijah?" Hayley suddenly perked. "You talked to him?"

"We've been in touch. And he had a plan." She said, glancing over her brother, K and then back to Hayley. She forced a kind smile. "All he asks is that we take care of you."

The group seemed to calm slightly, or the air around them did. Hayley didn't want to look as happy as she felt, but she hadn't caught the action in time. The vampires noticed.

"Can uh," Hayley muttered. "Can we go home now? I'd like to sleep for a few days."

"And maybe shower." K added.

Hayley let out a breathy laugh and stood. Almost immediately her knees wavered and before she hit the ground, Klaus swooped in to save her. He scooped her into his arms.

"I've got ya love." He said, turning and walking off towards home.

Rebekah looked to K out of the corner of her eye and noticed the young woman flinch. While K was near an expert at hiding her emotions, every once and a while something shined through before she could stop herself. And it was that split second slip where Rebekah saw the jealousy. She didn't remark on it because there was no reason to.

Together, the pair of female vampires followed Klaus home.

~~!~~

When they made it to the Mikaelson home, Klaus continued on inside, while K remained at the base of the front steps. Rebekah had made it up only a few before noticing she was alone. She turned to look at the dark-haired vampire.

"Call me if you need help." K said. She turned, ready to leave when Rebekah spoke.

"Are you not coming inside then?"

K shifted. She didn't bother hiding her confusion because she didn't think she needed to.

"Why? Is there something else?" she asked.

"No but," Rebekah took a deep breath and sighed loudly. She looked from the house and then back to K. "Wouldn't it just be easier if you stayed here? Cheaper at least. I've noticed you have a nasty habit of actually _paying_ for things."

K smiled her disbelief.

"Yeah well, paying is kind of like good karma for the lazy." She replied sarcastically. "And why are you inviting me to stay with you guys? Don't you think that'd be just a bit weird?"

"Not for me." She said with a wide smile. "Besides, with Nik busy trying to reclaim New Orleans and Elijah working on the witch, I might need an extra hand watching Hayley. It'd just be easier if you were under the same roof."

"Maybe," she said carefully. "You should run it by your brother before I do anything. We both know he's the kind of person that doesn't mince words or actions when he doesn't like something."

"Fair enough." Rebekah agreed. The both could easily see Klaus physically picking K up and setting her outside the house if he wanted to. "Be ready to move your things in tomorrow."

And without another word, Rebekah went back inside. Shaking her head at the weirdness she felt, K dashed into the darkness to go back to her hotel room.

Inside, Klaus was making his way down the steps after putting Hayley to bed. He noticed Rebekah.

"Aw, what's the matter? Kalli not up for a slumber party?" he teased, commenting on their unnatural friendship.

Rebekah gave him a curt smile and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I asked her to stay here with us."

Klaus was in the process of getting himself a drink when Rebekah spoke and froze immediately at her words. It made her smile internally. Klaus however, tried to recover quickly and finished his trek to the bar.

"And why, pray tell, would you do that little sister?" he asked with a distinct edge to his words as he poured himself a drink.

"I don't know," she sighed sarcastically. "I just figured it'd be easier to keep an eye on Hayley since you're with Marcel most of the time, Elijah's with the little super witch and I have to divide my time between the two."

He turned and took a sip of his drink.

"So, you wish to make her nanny, is that it?"

"Oh what's wrong Nik? Worried about having her under the same roof?"

The mocking was so thick in Rebekah's words, Klaus wished briefly she would have choked on them. He didn't immediately reply. Instead he took another long drink and plaster as much disregard on his features as he could.

"Do as you wish. You're an adult," he said as he stepped passed her. "Or so one would think."

Rebekah smiled her small victory and watched as Klaus headed back upstairs.

In truth, Klaus wouldn't mind K being around, but not now. Like every other time he had too much on his plate and K was a distraction. What's worse is she's a distraction with a past linked to his. That made it worse. His mind would wander to times passed and dominate his thoughts longer than they should. He knew it was dangerous keeping her so close, but part of him –the greedy part- didn't want her in the Quarter around so many other people. At least in his home he could keep an eye on her.


	32. Chapter 32

**Wow... after reading a few of the comments, I guess I have some things I need to straighten out. I didn't realize I was making K come off as a simpering little girl without a backbone. I guess I should rework a few chapters. As far as K is concerned, when she was human she fell head over heels in love with Klaus because he saved her life. For years before Elijah got involved, they had some sort of relationship which meant the feelings grew. But then Klaus made her fear him with the witch, and Elijah made her forget Klaus with the compulsion. For her entire vampire life, she literally didn't know who the Originals were aside from rumors and she definitely didn't realize she knew them personally. When Elijah was daggered and her memories came back, she was terrified of Klaus. When Klaus helped her break the spell shielding her real memories, she realized all of the fear wasn't real, it was implanted on purpose and not hers. She's conflicted, that's what I've been trying to get across. In the span of only a couple months, she went from not really knowing, to fearing to suddenly loving Klaus and even though the love was the only emotion that was real, she doesn't know what to do because she's since seen what kind of person Klaus had become. And the reason she even went to New Orleans was for morbid curiosity. She stayed when Rebekah promised some kind of action, but K realizes she's not delivering on it and gets irritated.**

**As far as the Mikaelson family goes. I'm one of those people who tries to keep the established characters of whatever universe I'm writing about as true to form as I can. Just because I want a love story doesn't mean I'm going to completely change how the main character acts. Rebekah isn't going to be overly warming because every 'friend' she's tried to make has stabbed her in the back, but she isn't going to brush K off entirely because she's desperate for some kind of friendship. After a thousand years of constantly fighting, backstabbing, manipulating, and lying between her and her siblings, none of them are trusting. And Klaus is a narcissistic ass -for lack of a better term- so how else is he supposed to act? K's had a couple short months to try and straighten out how she feels, he's had since she died centuries prior. As for the way he treated her in Mystic Falls, he honestly hasn't done anything that bad. Aside from leaving her in the van, he's insulted her. That's not unforgivable. Klaus's mind is so warped by everything that's happened to him when he was human and hybrid, he honestly doesn't know how else to act. He has this twisted sense that everything and everyone -no matter how they claim to feel about him- is out to get him. He treats her the way he does on instinct and only realizes later he did something wrong. That's how I interpreted his character. Until recent episodes, his character's barely shown any sign of caring for someone else, so I wasn't going to suddenly make him care about K out of the blue because then people would be pissed I did it, asking what makes K so special. **

**I'm sorry that some of you guys don't like the way the stories going. I guess I hadn't explained everything completely, but that's the basic summary of it. If you keep reading, I think you might like it. If not, sorry to disappoint. As it is, I hope you enjoy it and thanks for sticking with it as long as you did.**

Chapter 32

Rebekah text K early the following morning with something that seemed more fun than what they'd done the night before. Then again, it was entirely possible she overplayed the fun of it. Meeting at the cemetery to follow Hayley because she was doing something she wasn't supposed to do didn't seem too fun. It put K in an immediate bad mood.

"Could you two be more idiotic?" Rebekah sighed. Hayley and Sophie turned to see Rebekah standing at the entrance to the crypt with K at her side. In truth Kalli seemed more annoyed than anything. "Two can play the follow game you know." She said to Hayley. "You heard Klaus. He and Marcel are heading right where you're going."

"So distract them." Hayley said simply. "Because unless you want to lock a hormonal pregnant werewolf in a tomb, I'm coming with you. And wouldn't Elijah be mad to hear that the baby you swore to protect died of asphyxiation?"

Rebekah glowered at the obvious manipulation while K rolled her eyes.

"I think you're overplaying your worth, just a bit." K replied. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway to the tomb, her eyes dead set on Hayley and features blank. "Besides, thick chains can work just as well as a tomb."

Hayley was surprised by K's relatively cold demeanor, as was everyone else, but Rebekah seemed to have been the only one who expected it.

"I'll kick and scream the whole time." Hayley added, as though that were enough to dissuade what K wanted to do. It wasn't, but Rebekah didn't want the added hassle.

"Fine." She growled through her teeth. "Just… be quick about it."

K had lost her patience quickly after starting their little excursion through the bayou. She had no interest in the witches, no interest in whatever killed them and she definitely didn't feel like being around Hayley and her supposed miracle baby. After nearly a half an hour of not speaking, Rebekah seemed to notice.

"What's the matter with you?" Rebekah asked as she tried to keep from stepping into anything squishy.

K glanced briefly over her shoulder to see the blond speaking to her.

"_Why the hell am I here Rebekah?_" she asked in Finnish.

The change in language made those who didn't speak it uncomfortable, but Rebekah slipped right into the conversation without a misstep.

"_Because I asked you to come._" Rebekah said simply.

K rolled her eyes.

_"Yeah, that's why I showed up in the cemetery, but why am I traipsing through the bayou, helping some witch bury her witchy friends and playing watchdog to Niklaus's little girlfriend that he was stupid enough to get knocked up?"_

There was no escaping the animosity in K's voice. Somehow it surprised Rebekah. She didn't remember the last time K spoke about someone so hatefully that hadn't directly affected her in some way.

The tall blond paused in step. When the crunching beside her stopped, so did K. She turned around and noticed Rebekah eying her. There wasn't a particular 'look' on her face, but it was a bit obvious she was examining the darker haired vampire.

_"You're jealous, aren't you?"_ Rebekah asked finally.

Kalli twitched whether she meant to or not. She wasn't going to snap at Rebekah for 'suggesting such a thing' because the blond asked her question without mocking or malice, but it didn't mean she liked hearing it. She bit the inside of her cheek and gave Rebekah a warning glance, but the blond wasn't troubled by it. If anything, she felt a bit bad K seemed to be feeling jealousy of any sort when it came to Klaus. Then again, a small part of her figured it was about time. She'd already admitted to Kalli that she was jealous of the affections her brother showered the young woman with when she was alive, so maybe it was K's turn to feel the emotion. But still, the pity outweighed the shallow delight.

As the pair stared at one another, something suddenly became very clear in Rebekah's mind. She might have teased K for it before, assumed it and even thought about it briefly, but she never truly believed it. In her mind, the thought was almost impossible for anyone outside her family. But there it was, right in front of her.

"You really do love him, don't you?" she asked in English before she could stop herself.

Sophie and Hayley –who'd been paying passing attention considering they couldn't understand the language being used- were suddenly very interested in what K and Rebekah were talking about. The pair stopped their trek, already a few steps ahead, and looked at the two women having a starting contest.

If Rebekah wasn't sure, she'd have thought K lost a shade or two of color. As it was, she immediately looked away from the Original.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She mumbled under breath.

Rebekah didn't believe her and when K tried to step away, the blond grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Wait," she said. K looked blankly over her shoulder at the one holding her. Rebekah narrowed her eyes and found herself examining K for a moment before coming to a conclusion she was surprised by. Rebekah sighed. "Shit,"

"We're here!" Hayley called, giving the two vampires something else to focus on other than K's apparent lovesickness.

Rebekah released K without being asked. K trudged towards the scene and Rebekah found herself slowly following after. Her mind raced for more than one reason, but shortly after finding the bodies, she had something else to focus on.

~~~!~~~

The women had already made it back to the mansion. Rebekah was talking to Hayley, telling her –in no uncertain terms- that Hayley had a friend in her. But Hayley –while flattered- kept thinking about what happened in the bayou between Rebekah and K. The werewolf's eyes darted around the find the young woman with the dark hair lingering in the other room, staring at the artwork on the walls.

"Yeah, well," she said under her breath so K couldn't overhear. "I don't think she likes me very much."

Rebekah glanced into the other room. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"To be fair," she replied. "That poor girl's known my family far longer than anyone probably should."

The pair remained in the music room by the piano, watching K linger away from them. Hayley found herself slowly gathering the courage to ask something that had been bothering her since earlier.

"In the swamp…" she began, drawing Rebekah's skeptical gaze. Hayley reluctantly met her eyes. "When the two of you were talking, you were talking about Klaus weren't you?"

Rebekah didn't speak. She didn't want to say anything one way or another about the subject when the door burst open and the subject of the talk stepped through.

"Nik," Rebekah chimed, drawing attention from everyone within earshot. "What's taken you so…"

Before she could finish, Elijah stepped through the door behind his brother. He smiled wide at his sister, as excited as her to be home. She rushed forward and hugged him tightly, happy for his return. When they parted, she asked if he planned to kill their other brother, but Elijah was distracted. He left to follow Hayley to the surprise of his siblings.

Movement from behind caught Klaus's attention. He shifted his stance enough to see K swallowing the remaining bits of her drink and setting the crystal down on the nearest tabletop. When she looked up and caught him eying her she remained as calm and blank as possible. There was a strange energy between them Rebekah sensed. She didn't say anything about it. Instead she decided to talk about something entirely different.

"So, have you decided to stay here or are you still going to waste money on a hotel?"

Well, perhaps her topic of discussion wasn't greatly different. K kept her eyes on Klaus for a second or two longer than she probably should have, but she couldn't help it. They simply stared at one another, neither giving the slightest indication which way they wanted to situation to conclude. Her gaze shifted back to the blond who'd spoken to her.

"I should keep wasting money." She told Rebekah with a hint of a smile.

Rebekah pursed her lips as she glowered silently at her brother. A moment later, before anyone could say anything else or the situation grow any tenser; Hayley and Elijah appeared once again from different directions. It was a bit obvious they'd been speaking to each other regardless. He looked at K and smiled.

"Kalli, hello again."

"Elijah." She greeted with a nod. "Glad to see you're back in one piece."

He chuckled lightly.

"Well, I came to an arrangement with my capture." He replied easily. "I'm glad you made the trip."

"Hm." She muttered as though she weren't sure she was as happy as he was about it.

"The two of you seem to be getting along rather well." Klaus commented, noticing the pair seemed to be at ease with each other more than their history would allow. He was a bit terse with it too. "May I ask what's brought the two of you so close?"

The sarcasm and irritation was so thick in his words it was hard to ignore. Elijah found it amusing.

"It's quite simple Niklaus," he said with a smile. "I apologized."

Klaus's brows pulled together. He looked confused, like her forgiveness couldn't _possibly_ have come so easily. But it had. Elijah's apology for everything he'd done had helped K's forgiving him a great deal. Sure she wasn't completely comfortable with him, but it was nothing compared to the fear and animosity she held for him just over a week ago. It showed that at least Elijah realized he'd done something wrong. It was up to K to decide _how_ forgiven he was, but she could at least be civil.

"Are you leaving, Kalli?" Elijah asked, noticing K was nearing the front door and deciding to move the conversation along.

"I was planning on it, yeah."

"Please stay." He said to the shock of a few of the others. "I'd rather like for you to hear this too."

She nodded, but couldn't hide the fact she was as confused as the others by the invitation to linger.

He led the four of them into the office he once used when they resided in the plantation home decades prior. Hayley lingered against the wall staying within Klaus's line of sight while he and Rebekah took the chairs and K stayed in the background. She didn't want to put herself any closer to the discussion, like even a step nearer would suck her into their world. If she was only going to be babysitting the wolf, K wanted to make sure she had the option to leave. The way her visit to New Orleans was playing out wasn't exactly what she had in mind. The Originals weren't holding up their end of the deal.

"She's doing this for family." Elijah said heavily. "Which makes her more dangerous than anyone."

Elijah let his words linger, sink into his family's mind so they could understand the gravity of the situation. It was worse than they thought. Of all things in the world that could actually harm a vampire, compete with their strength and speed, a witch was probably the one to cause the most fear. Werewolves yes were dangerous, but honestly only for a single night a month. Witches on the other hand, were a great deal worse. Their power –while having limits- was immense and add to it the desperation to return family… there was no telling what could happen in their fight.

The elder brother didn't have to bother asking if his siblings or Hayley would be on his side, but he was curious about one. Elijah looked up, his gaze moving between Klaus and Rebekah to K leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and face blank.

"Will you help us, Kalli?" he asked sincerely.

K noticed Elijah was foregoing her entire first name which she appreciated, but it did little to sway her already decided opinion.

"No." she said simply.

Her answer –for some reason- surprised those in the room. Elijah didn't bother hiding his reaction.

"Kalliope," he said, standing a bit straighter than before as though it would help him make his point. "Together, the four of us are the oldest vampires in the world." His statement- while true- never seemed to don on anyone listening. It was like some kind of revelation that yes, K was in the elite group of old vampires. And after Sage's death, she was the oldest 'normal' vampire by a decent margin too. "Together we'd not only be able to secure the Quarter, but ensure a miracle is brought into this world."

While Elijah might have been more than happy to nurture the amazing wolf-vampire-hybrid whatever the hell that was growing inside Hayley, a logical person would have seen K's eyes darken at the mention of it. Elijah was a logical man, but part of him prayed she might help.

K turned her head and looked to Hayley. The wolf fidgeted under the gaze of the woman she'd spent the day with and still didn't feel comfortable around.

"Not interested." She said before gradually turning her gaze to Elijah. "Look, I'll do whatever you need me to within reason, but at the moment I still plan on making my flight this Sunday."

He sighed, but couldn't make himself be surprised by her denial. Elijah glanced briefly to Hayley and nodded his understanding when he looked back at K.

"Fair enough." He conceded.

K nodded and pushed herself off the wall.

"I'm leaving for the night." She said simply. Without her consent, K's body moved and again looked at Hayley in passing. While their eyes met only briefly, it still happened and Hayley's nerves weren't settled by K's following comment. "I'm going to hunt. Call me if you need something worth my time."

And K exited the room. Hayley shuddered briefly, but tried to look as though she was braver than she felt.

Elijah looked to Rebekah. Of the people in the room, he knew his sister was perhaps the only one that might have been able to help keep K around. The blond sighed heavily and shoved herself up to rush after her. Honestly Rebekah had no plans to convince K to help Hayley, not after their talk in the bayou.

K had nearly made it to the front door, her arm outstretched and waiting to grab the knob when Rebekah caught her.

"Hey," she said forcing Kalli to turn when she'd opened the door a crack. "Where are you hunting?"

"Haven't decided, why?" she asked skeptically.

"It alright if I join you?"

K eyed Rebekah up and down before shrugging her indifference.

"Come on."

"Wait," Rebekah sighed. Again K paused, but this time she gave the Viking woman an irritated glance. "You're changing."

"You make me hate you some times, you know that?" K replied sarcastically, not bothering to hide her growing annoyance with Rebekah.

Instead the blond smiled.

"Perhaps if you didn't dress like a high school student all the time, we would get along better."

"High sch… I wear normal clothes. How does this look like high school or any other kind of style?" she snapped. "They're just normal clothes."

"Precisely." Rebekah nodded. "You look like a little girl most of the time."

K glared deeply at the woman who thought she was just so funny.

"I was nineteen when I died. Of course I look like I belong in high school." She said as though it were obvious.

"Good Lord, you are in a foul mood." Rebekah muttered. Without bothering to convince her further, she grabbed K's arm and began to tug. "Come along then. I'm going to show you how you should dress. God knows you could've used a role model through the years."

"And you're supposed to be my role model?" K asked derisively as she was led up the stairs. "Stake me now."

Elijah, Klaus and Hayley had made it slowly out of the study and watched as Rebekah and K made their way upstairs. They'd heard the young vampire's comments too and it made the brothers smile.

"They're seriously friends?" Hayley asked.

"Who knows." Klaus replied.

Upstairs:

K sat on Rebekah's bed with her arms crossed, her legs crossed, and every muscle in her face scowling. Rebekah was busy digging through her closet, but that didn't stop her from leaning out to see K. She rolled her eyes and sighed obnoxiously before dipping back into her wardrobe.

"Will you stop pouting?" she replied with irritation. "You act as though I'm about to grab a knife and start slicing at your face."

"Why do you even care what I wear? Seriously, they're clothes. You and I both know how fast styles change. In the end, fashions useless."

Rebekah suddenly appeared again in the closet doorway with horror stretched across her features.

"Fashions u… My god what's the matter with you?" she asked in shock. "Someone got your knickers in a twist."

K rolled her eyes and didn't reply, but Rebekah already knew what she'd say if she did.

"They're still just clothes." K grumbled. "I don't see why you have to use me as a doll. Just go buy a Barbie."

Rebekah growled. She snatched a bit of white fabric from a hanger and stepped back into the room with in hanging from her grip. She squared herself on K.

"What is with this sudden pity me bullshit?" Rebekah asked sternly. "Since when did you start having confidence issues?"

Again K didn't reply. She looked away from Rebekah and decided she didn't want to continue the conversation anymore. Rebekah just threw the white fabric at her, hitting K in the face. She jumped briefly as it fell to her lap. Rebekah stood with her hands on her hips.

"I'm not your bloody therapist, you hear me?" she snapped. "Now then, if you're just going to sit and pout because some little wolfy girl's gotten herself pregnant, fine but do it somewhere else." K's face fell before she could stop it and Rebekah knew she'd hit a nerve. Good. Maybe it would snap her out of her stupor. "But we both know you should be doing what every other woman in the world does when something like this happens to her."

K looked up and cocked a brow to the blonde.

"Which is?"

"Getting even." She answered simply. "You make the bastard remember why you're the best everything he's ever seen."

K's brows slowly began to push together. Even though it wasn't the first time Rebekah had suggested K use her criminally underused wiles to get Klaus's attention, something was different this time. If she didn't know any better –and if she read between the lines correctly- K felt like Rebekah was almost rooting for her and Klaus to start up whatever the hell a relationship between them would be. K shuddered at the uncomfortable thought before she could stop herself.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that if you don't like something, you change it?" Rebekah asked.

K rolled her eyes and Rebekah nodded as though that were final. In a way it was. She wasn't going to keep trying to explain to K that she had the power to take what she wanted. To be honest, it was getting on Rebekah's nerves. She didn't understand why K was so blinded to it.

"Now then, bathroom's through there. Change." Rebekah said simply.

Without speaking and acting like an angry little five year old, K snatched up the garment and trudged into the bathroom. Rebekah rolled her eyes and picked out an outfit for herself to wear.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The pair of evil vampire women was ready for a night of feeding within minutes. Together they descended the stairs in their own respective outfits. While Rebekah was a vision in her sapphire blue dress that accentuated her eyes and made her blonde hair shine, she'd ensured K looked as innocent as possible. It made the younger vampire wonder why the blond had made the comment about her age when she'd chosen to make her look like a flower girl in someone's wedding. While Rebekah was wearing something sultry and beautiful, K was dressed in a flurry of loose white fabric.

The sound of clicking heels brought attention from those still awake in the house. Hayley was chewing on an apple and readying herself for bed while Klaus and Elijah were sharing a drink when Rebekah and K appeared. Rebekah smiled slyly when she noticed Klaus do just a hint of a double take. She knew it wasn't for her.

K was busy brushing her fingers through her hair, loosening it from the ponytail it had been in all day. Rebekah picked K's outfit specifically so the young woman would draw attention. It was a simple white dress with thin braided straps to hold it up, a sweetheart neck line and a waterfall of fabric that fell from her hips to her knees. There was nothing special about the white sundress or the silver peep-toed heels at her feet, but the outfit combined with K's fair skin, deeply colored hair and bright green eyes made it its own version of seductive. She looked angelic and that was the point.

"Anyone else interested in a bit of food?" Rebekah asked as she grabbed her cell phone.

She looked at her brothers specifically. They were the only other beings in the house that drank blood after all.

"No thank you Rebekah, but have fun." Elijah said with a slight smile.

She nodded and looked to her other brother. "Nik?"

Klaus was watching K to the point it would have been considered leering, but neither involved had noticed. K was still fussing with her hair and Klaus hadn't realized more than a few seconds had passed. When Rebekah spoke however, K shifted her attention to the one being spoken to. Their eyes met. He felt a jolt down his spine, but instead of letting the others see what they already knew was happening, Klaus decided to fall back into the familiar. His attitude.

"Blood'll be a bit obvious on white, don't you think?" he asked K.

She raised a brow at his comment. Glancing at her wardrobe briefly K shrugged and met his eyes again.

"I can be careful." She said without tone. "So are you coming or not?"

Elijah, Hayley and Rebekah stayed out of the conversation. The siblings were wondering how long it would take the two talking to start fighting while Hayley felt unease creep into her gut. Something about the two didn't sit right with her.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Klaus's lips. He didn't feel like repeating what he did the last time Rebekah and K went out for the night, especially when there were more than enough people to notice him spying, so he found himself agreeing.

"Why not?" he asked rhetorically. Klaus finished his drink in a gulp and set the glass down. He smiled, looking from one woman to the other. "Shall we ladies?"

Together the trio left the manor within seconds. Elijah mused to himself while again; Hayley was having trouble believing what she was seeing. Elijah caught a glimpse of her unease, but assumed it was relevant to her pregnancy.

"Is something the matter?" he asked her with a hint of worry.

"Hm? Oh," Hayley snapped back into reality. She'd been letting her mind wander for too long; she didn't realize she was making faces. "Yeah, no I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh," she hesitated. While she had a thousand questions to ask about the weird relationship Klaus and K seemed to share, she couldn't focus on one. They were all swirling around in her head. If it weren't Elijah, she wouldn't have asked, but she knew he'd be as honest with her as he could so she wanted to try. The first thing that came out of her mouth was something she'd read in his journals. "You killed her, didn't you?"

Elijah's face fell and he tore his gaze from hers. He looked at the floor for a moment as he thought about how to phrase his answer. Hesitantly he looked back to Hayley and nodded.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

Elijah clenched his jaw, but it wasn't in irritation. He simply didn't know how to word his answers. Hayley took it as anger.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bud into your business," she said quickly, hoping she could come up with something to make him think she wasn't being nosy. "But she just kind of showed up here and I remembered seeing her in Mystic Falls." Elijah's brows came together, silently asking her what she saw. "Well, I mean she came over to Tyler's house to talk to Klaus. She kissed him." That seemed to surprise Elijah more than she'd have thought. "So I was just wondering what's going on with them. It's pretty clear there's some kind of history there."

Elijah sighed again. He was going to have to share family history whether he wanted to or not.

"Some time ago, Niklaus purchased Kalliope at auction." Elijah began. Hayley scowled which he expected. "For the first few years she was simply one of the many servants we employed within our home. Once Niklaus tasted her blood however," He paused considering what he was going to say. "He became possessive. The sentiment grew after she was attacked by my brother Finn. From that moment on, Niklaus's affection for her grew intensely. I assumed it was nothing more than obsession. He became erratic and for the safety of my family I acted. Letting her go was no longer an option." He said, hinting that killing her was the only thing he could do at the time. Hayley didn't press. She'd read about that in his journal. "It was only after he thought she'd died when I realized I'd mistaken his feelings for her. I truly think he might have loved her."

"No offense, but your brother's a sociopath. They don't love anybody but themselves." She said simply.

A weak smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"You have to understand, Niklaus wasn't always as he is now. A thousand years is a long time. It can change anyone." He replied. Hayley nodded, but didn't seem appeased by his answer. "Why do you ask?"

"It was something Rebekah and Kalli were saying in the bayou earlier today." She sighed. Elijah narrowed his eyes curiously. She could tell he was interested in what the conversation was. "Well, I couldn't understand most of it cause they weren't speaking English," he chuckled to himself and nodded as though he figured it wouldn't be. "But Rebekah slipped. She said _you really do love him, don't you_ and seemed really surprised." Hayley could recall the whole thing easily. It was burned in her brain because it was so strange. "And Kalli looked really uncomfortable, like Rebekah was right."

Elijah slipped into his thoughts. He had assumed –like Rebekah- that Klaus and K still harbored feelings for each other, but they were both too proud and stubborn to let themselves realize it. Hayley watched Elijah contemplate whatever he was thinking before deciding to add what she considered further proof.

"And she _really_ doesn't seem to like me."

Elijah met her eyes with a smile. It wasn't that he was laughing at Hayley, but still amused.

"I didn't assume she would." He replied. "Although to be fair, I don't think it's necessarily you she doesn't like. If I'm not mistaken it's the situation she finds unpleasant." Again Hayley didn't seem reassured by his words. "But don't worry. Kalliope's never been one for rash action. If there's anything I've learned from her it's that she won't attack unprovoked. You're safe."

Hayley nodded, but again she wasn't put at ease no matter how much Elijah tried to calm her. It was a little disconcerting having a thousand year old vampire angry at her for no reason.

"Come. It's getting late."

Elijah led her up the stairs so Hayley could get some sleep.

~~~!~~~

In town, the trio of monsters walked along the relatively crowded streets. Klaus walked in the middle of the two young woman and garnered jealous stares from passers by. It was nearing midnight, but New Orleans didn't seem to ever truly sleep.

Marcel's nightwalkers were easy enough to spot hovering in the shadows, watching the humans like they were appetizers as though they couldn't control themselves. It was pathetic really, but none of the trio could really say anything about it. They were each just as bloodthirsty the first year or two after turning. Hell, they were still that bloodthirsty, they were just better at hiding it than the newly turned.

"See anything worth tasting?" Rebekah asked with a light sigh as she, Klaus and K walked along the cobblestone.

"I don't know." K answered unenthusiastically. Her eyes moved along the patrons. "Why are there so many damn vampires around?"

"That would be Marcel's doing." Klaus replied. "He has a rather impressive number under him."

"Sounds like overcompensation." K said causing Klaus to chuckle and Rebekah to smile.

"They help enforce his rules." Rebekah continued.

"Rules?" K asked with a curled nose.

"For example," Klaus said. He leaned a bit closer to the woman on his right. "There'll be no killing of the locals this evening. Sorry darling."

K valiantly hid the shudder that threatened to vibrate through her at Klaus's proximity. Instead, she turned to meet his gaze, their faces only a few inches apart.

"They can try and stop me."

Klaus smiled before he could think better of it. Correcting his stance to stand straight again, the trio continued to walk in the search of food.

It took longer than it had in Virginia for them to find a small grouping of people that would suffice. It wasn't that they were looking for anything in particular, but they knew what they _didn't_ want.

Rebekah had wandered off and found herself someone to eat. She didn't kill him for the simple fact she wasn't hungry enough to drain the stranger and snapping his neck would have been a waste. Instead she would heal his wound and send him about his way without so much as a hint of memory to what happened.

K found someone shortly after Rebekah disappeared. She took him to one of the many alleyways that seemed to dart the Quarter and drank her fill. Klaus kept close to her, watching her when she grabbed her dinner. He wasn't hungry when he left the house, but he wasn't going to let Kalli out of his sight for long either, especially not when she was with Rebekah. He couldn't imagine the kind of trouble his little sister could cause the pair.

As K drank freely from her victim, not bothering to adhere to whatever rules were laid down by Marcel, Klaus approached. She could tell he was there so she didn't bother stopping. He raised a brow at the display for more reasons than he realized. He didn't like her feeding from someone else for one, and she seemed more than willing to kill the young man just to spite the supposed King of New Orleans.

"That's enough love, no need to kill the young lad." Klaus said when K's dinner began to waver.

Reluctantly K pulled back and let go of her dinner. The dizzy young man slid down the wall he'd been leaning against. K did little more than raise a brow at him. She could hear his heart and knew Klaus was right. He might have died if she kept drinking. As it was, she could probably save him.

With her fangs still protruding, K nicked her index and middle fingers. She knelt down and pressed them to the wounds. She didn't want her blood in the human's system in case he died and turned, but she didn't want him to bleed out from such obvious wounds either.

"Hungry?" Klaus teased lightly as K stood.

She looked at him without word or expression. He watched as the vampiric features began to fade, but her lips and chin were still decorated and dripping with blood.

"Annoyed." She answered honestly.

"Clearly." He replied, eying the amount of blood marring her skin.

K shrugged her indifference to the probable mess she was leaving in her wake. It made Klaus smile again. He couldn't help it. He began to realize how deliberate Rebekah's wardrobe choice for K had been. She looked so innocent only to have her features splashed with the blood of her victim. It was a memorable thing to see.

Before he could stop himself or even think better of it, Klaus stepped a bit closer to K. She didn't move as Klaus ran his thumb along her bottom lip, wiping some of the blood free from her skin. While his eyes were originally focused on what he was doing, it didn't take long for them to meet K's. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity while Klaus's movements had slowed to the point he was holding her jaw tenderly.

The pair was content to stay in their own world, linger in the comforting discomfort, until someone nearby cracked a party popper. The sudden sound made them realize they weren't as alone as they thought and actually swimming in a sea of humans. K was the first to break eye contact.

"Perhaps we should find Rebekah." She said softly.

"Hm, there's no telling what mayhem my dear sister can cause, is there?" he teased lightly.

A smile twitched at K's lips but disappeared just as quickly. Without speaking again, she slinked back into the hustle and bustle of the street, wiping her face as she went. Klaus lingered for a moment, only joining her after sucking the blood he'd wiped from her lips off his thumb. He didn't bother hiding his smirk before disappearing.

What he didn't realize however, was he hadn't been the only one spying on Kalli. The moment Rebekah and Klaus made their presence known in the Quarter, a small handful of Marcel's minions followed suit. They had orders to always watch the Originals and this time they weren't alone. There was someone with the Originals the minions didn't recognize, and Klaus seemed to like her. Interesting.


	34. Chapter 34

**I just want to thank those of you who are awesome. You know who you are. Love you guys and enjoy!**

Chapter 34

K had already spent five days and nearly six nights in New Orleans. She didn't know the night before Hayley had gone missing from the mansion only to be taken deep into the bayou by Tyler Lockwood. Klaus was furious, Elijah worried, while Rebekah seemed annoyed. Elijah had suggested the call K, ensuring they had the most powerful vampires in the city looking for the young woman, but Rebekah talked him out of it. Without Klaus nearby, Rebekah told Elijah K wasn't the best option when it came to handling anything pertaining to Hayley. He wasn't surprised by it, but he was by the concern his sister shared for the dark haired vampire. He didn't press.

They found her shortly after searching. Klaus handled Tyler while Elijah tended to Hayley. Neither of them knew Rebekah was busy plotting with Marcel.

But again it never took long for Klaus to turn. He spouted his anger and the betrayal he felt from Elijah, swearing his brother was always looking down at him because they shared a single parent and not both. In his irate state, Klaus bit Elijah and left him in the bayou with his precious little wolf girl.

Klaus left him to rot and went home as though nothing had changed. Rebekah said her piece, spouted her anger at him and by the following morning seemed eerily calm with the situation. Klaus didn't like it. Any time his family acted normal it never boded well for what was to come.

"There is something fundamentally wrong with you." She told him easily. She pushed herself up and stood over him for a moment. "I have no choice but to love you Nik, you're my brother and you always will be, but I can't help to pity the poor souls who get sucked into your world. Hayley is stuck with you while she carries that baby and poor Kalli…" she paused to try and find the words while Klaus stared daggers at her. "I can't believe she's not gone mad by now and to make matters even worse, that poor girl still loves you enough she's fooled herself into thinking you can be saved."

Shaking her head, Rebekah left Klaus alone with his thoughts; sure she'd given him more than enough to keep him occupied.

~~!~~

Klaus thought about Rebekah's mean and vindictive words all day and hated they were true. He hated that she was right about something being wrong with him. He knew there was, always able to sense it but never knowing what it was. Klaus hated that she said Hayley's life had been all but high jacked by him since she was carrying his baby because again, Rebekah was right. The only thing he disagreed with was her assessment of his and K's relationship. He doubted apologizing for every slight he'd paid her would be enough to wipe the slate clean. He'd been intentionally pushing her away since Mystic Falls, saying cruel things to get her to leave, but no matter how he tried she was always nearby. Somehow K was always in the periphery of his life and Klaus wasn't sure he wanted it to change. If it came to it, he didn't know if he wanted to push her away again.

That rage and confusion followed him throughout the day. It stewed within him, bubbled and simmered until he finally had an outlet. As Rebekah stood against him with his son Marcel, Klaus finally had something to aim his hatred, his anger and his resentment towards. He finally had something to release it.

"You think you can subdue me?!" Klaus bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of his family home. "With this?!"

"No." Marcel smiled vindictively. "But I think I can with this."

He whistled again and more than double the amount of vampires than before appeared. The walls of the courtyard and the balcony above were littered with vampires, most bearing weapons and all of them aiming their anger at Klaus.

The hybrid hesitated. While he wasn't necessarily frightened, he was amazed by the sheer volume of people who were willing to not only stand against him, but fight at his son's behest.

"And if this doesn't scare you, I've got one more bit of incentive."

"Really?" Klaus sneered, refusing to show any weakness. "You really think you can just bribe me to leave New Orleans? Leave the city I built?"

Another wicked grin touched Marcel's lips. His smile was eerily perfect which only added to the unnerving action.

"I know I can." He replied. "You see, while you and yours can't be killed, I know something you covet that can."

Klaus tensed his jaw. His immediate thoughts moved to Hayley and the baby. Marcel had already met the young woman the night before so he knew she existed. But she wasn't the only one Marcel had seen the hybrid with.

"You see, a few of my boys spotted you guys in the Quarter last night." He said. "And you two weren't alone."

Klaus tensed his jaw again and felt the animal within trying to break free.

"Who says I don't have Davina pay your little friend a visit? Maybe just a little something special cooked up just for her? What do you think?"

"What the hell is this?" Rebekah hissed to Marcel. "Kalli's not a part of this."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Marcel was threatening someone that honestly had nothing to do with their internal war. K wasn't a part of it. She had nothing to do with whatever Klaus chose.

Marcel turned to Rebekah.

"Nothing'll happen to your friend," he said as calmly as everything else he'd been saying. He shifted back to Klaus. "So long as Klaus leaves New Orleans. I'll even let him take her with."

"You harm a hair on her head," Klaus began, his jaw clenched so tight it would surprise no one if the pressure cracked his teeth. "I swear on everything you hold dear, I will destroy you."

The darkness and anger reflected back at Marcel through Klaus's eyes was something he'd never witnessed before. Neither had Rebekah. He seemed nearing the edge of madness.

"Like I said," Marcel continued as though his blood wasn't running cold. "All you have to do is agree to leave and you and your little friend are free to go."

Klaus stood in the center of the courtyard, his body vibrating with rage and hatred. He made his proposal, told the crowd gathered that whoever takes the coin was more than welcome to join him and live. Marcel told his people they could join Klaus if they wanted to, that it was their decision and he wouldn't hold it against him. When no one came forward, Marcel made the call and the fight began.

The fight raged for mere seconds, but a small handful of Marcel's men had already died at Klaus's hand before he took the coin. Klaus swelled with pride as Marcel graveled. His smile quickly faded and he turned to leave, more than willing to avoid the man for a while should his rage get the better of him.

~!~

Episode 9

It didn't take long for word to spread about Klaus taking over the Quarter, even to an outsider like K. Even if she didn't know, it was all Klaus could talk about, reclaiming his home.

K was making her way into the heart of the home to find Klaus. She held his black sweater in her hand, the one she'd stolen the last time they became a bit too intimate and she hadn't returned it. Honestly, while part of her wanted to keep it because she liked the way it looked on her; another part didn't want it near her.

She was a tad bitter.

Heavy footsteps and talk of war drew her eyes. She noticed Klaus and Marcel heading towards her. At least she didn't have to go searching the grounds.

Klaus looked up, noticed her standing near the doorway and paused. He narrowed his eyes curiously.

"Kalli, what are you doing here?" he asked leisurely.

K was busy eying the man at Klaus's side. She'd heard of Marcel, but hadn't met him before. She raised a curious brow, but let her face remain primarily stoic when she turned her gaze to Klaus.

"I came to return this." She said simply, offering him the shirt.

Klaus stepped forward and took the garment, remembering it and the situation clearly. It caused a smile to tug at the corner of his lips.

"And what brought on this bit of thoughtfulness?"

"My plane leaves tonight and since I stole it, it seems fair I return it." She said. He flinched at the mention of her leaving town. "After all, it's not like I have much use for it."

"Fair to say." He replied, sounding as though it hurt him a bit to utter the words. But he noticed something else in her behavior. "You seem a bit irritated, if I'm not mistaken."

"A bit. Who's this?" she asked, motioning to Marcel. She felt she already knew, but there were so many vampires it could have been anyone.

Klaus smiled and wrapped his arm around the young man's shoulder.

"This is the infamous Marcel." He replied. Marcel did little more than nod his acknowledgement.

"So, you're my baby brother, hm?"

Marcel's brows came together in the center of his forehead almost immediately. Klaus again laughed and nodded.

"Yes, it does look like this is turning into a bit of a family reunion, doesn't it?" he mused darkly. "We were just about to decimate the Faction, a group of affluent humans who seem to have grown a bit too big for their breeches." He said. "Care to join us?"

Marcel shot Klaus a glare, but the hybrid either didn't notice or didn't care. He was -in his own weird way- offering K an olive branch. It was his strange way of starting to build bridges he'd burned. And honestly, part of Klaus hoped that the bit of bloodshed would be enough for her to consider staying. He didn't want K to leave New Orleans.

"You want to kill them all?" she asked with a disapproving expression, Klaus nodded. "Well that's a stupid idea."

Klaus's smile faded and Marcel's anger finally won out. He'd been holding it in since the night before when he watched Klaus kill a handful of his men and earlier that morning when the Faction killed another grouping, he wanted nothing more than to take it out on something. K seemed to be as good a target as any.

"They just declared war." Marcel snapped.

"I'm not saying don't do anything, I'm just saying don't kill them." She explained simply. "Then you'd have to start with a whole new group of people and blah, blah, blah. You do realize you don't have to go around killing everyone that annoys you, right?"

Klaus's brow rose just a bit higher than before. His stance relaxed and he took a few steps closer to her.

"And what would you do since you seem so benevolent?" he asked with a hint of irritation.

"I bet if you actually tried, you could get them to do whatever you wanted without killing a single one of them."

"Really?" Klaus didn't bother hiding his sarcasm because he didn't believe her. "Care to make a wager on that?"

K tilted her head curiously to the side. She was intrigued. Honestly she'd love the chance to show Klaus she could best him. Besides, his habit for bloodshed was ridiculous. K didn't want to see a whole group of people killed for possibly no reason.

"Terms?"

"We can discuss that later." He said. "For the moment, I'm more interested in what you plan to do."

A wicked smile began to touch her lips. Klaus felt a nice little flutter at the sight. It made him curious.

~~~!~~~


	35. Chapter 35

**34-35 were supposed to be one chapter originally, so I'm uploading them together. I hope you like it. Enjoy.**

Chapter 35

"Actually I called it." An all too familiar voice said from the shadows. Klaus sauntered forward with a light smirk, Marcel at his side looking thoroughly angered. "It appears I made a grave error in our earlier conference. My friend Marcel offered me sound council and I failed to heed it."

"Hm, well I'm glad to here you've learned your lesson." The police Chief replied smugly.

Marcel glowered while Klaus's lip twitched into a dark, sarcastic grin.

"Oh I won't be making that mistake again, but you see there is still a bit of a problem."

The others seemed apprehensive while the Chief looked little more than annoyed.

"You've drawn first blood." Klaus said simply. "You killed a few of my men, men Marcel recruited himself and while our instincts _screamed_ to come in here and slaughter every last one of you, I've decided to try another approach. Kalli!"

A soft click entered there ears. From the same shadows Klaus and Marcel had emerged, came a young woman with dark hair, brilliant green eyes and an unnervingly warm smile.

"Hi." She waved. She walked deeper into the bar before standing beside Father Kieran. "Father," K drew his eyes. "May I?"

She was asking to take his seat which he was surprised by. Still too flustered by the situation he found himself in, Kieran nodded and stepped away. He was simply lost.

"Thank you." She told him politely. K took the seat and adjusted until she was comfortable. Her eyes soon turned to the people looking at her and with the same unnerving smile, she leaned back and crossed her legs to get comfortable. "Now then, to business."

"Who the hell are you?" the Chief asked indignantly.

"Kalli," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "Keep up Chief."

"I don't know who you think you are," he began with a growl. "But I am not about to sit here and be lectured by a little girl who probably turned because she had some sick kind of vampire fetish."

Klaus's eyes turned dark as did K's face. The Chief stood; ready to leave when K disappeared from her chair. No one knew what happened until they heard a loud slap and the muffled groan of someone out of sight. Turning, everyone saw the Chief on the ground, reeling from a hit that took him off his feet while K stood over him, her hand still in the air. She'd backhanded him.

It took everyone a moment to understand what had happened. While the evidence was obvious, very few of the people in the Faction had witnessed a vampire move, let alone attack them. Klaus and Marcel smiled to themselves while K was not happy.

Readjusting her clothing a bit, K knelt down beside the Chief, ensuring she had his attention before speaking.

"That was simply uncalled for." She told him with an eerily calm voice. K pushed herself up and with as much effort as one would step off a curb, she leapt onto the tables. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have been polite to you so I expect the same in return." She said, pacing along the table tops. "And Chief, I suggest you get your _fat ass_ up off the floor. It's unbecoming of a man of your station."

The man who hadn't bothered hiding his contempt for the vampires slowly rose and regained his seat, glaring at the girl who'd hit him harder than a Mac truck. The bit of blood on his lips made her smile.

"Now then, as I was saying. Considering who all of you are and what you know, I think it's safe to say you're all on vervain." She said, still pacing. "After all, who'd go to a meeting with a vampire and risk being secretly being compelled? But, are your families taking it as well?" K looked around and noticed fearful looks. She smiled. Again her eyes shifted to the Chief. "And since we already have a volunteer,"

Without speaking further, K reached into her back pocket and grabbed her phone. She searched for a number. When she found it, she called.

"Let me talk to her." She said, her eyes focused firmly on the Chief. "Hi," she suddenly chimed in a happy voice. "Yeah, my name's Kalli. I have your dad here." She pulled the phone from her ear and pressed another button. "Say hello."

"_Uh, dad_?" a voice the Chief knew said on the other end of the phone.

His face dropped immediately.

"Ashley? Ashley are you o…"

Before he could finish his statement, a blood curdling scream echoed through the room. It was a sound of pain, of torturing, of begging. Seconds passed while the Chief listened to god knew what before K ended the call.

"Oh," she said. "That seems nasty, doesn't it?"

In truth the girl was completely safe. With Klaus and Marcel's consent, Marcel handed over a few of his day walkers to visit the family of the Faction members and compel who they could. They were told to –on cue- scream bloody murder like they were being tortured or killed if K called them. As it was, the Chief was the one who pissed her off, so she wanted him to be frightened. That was her plan, to make the Faction afraid. There was no need to kill them. Klaus and Marcel both thought her plan was pleasantly wicked, but devoid of the killing they'd originally wanted.

"What did you do?!" he bellowed angrily.

The Chief lunged for K who simply spun out of his reach and landed gently on the ground again, proving her specie's agility. Still she stared at him blankly while he glowered with the purest hate.

"That's it!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "You want a war? You got it. I'm not going to stand here and be threatened by some hybrid freak and his whore!"

That was the wrong thing to say.

Klaus and K both lunged for the police Chief at the same time for his insult, both wanting blood though K seemed to have gotten it just a split second sooner. She made it to the Chief quicker because she was simply a few steps closer. Both of them appeared directly in front of the cop. The others saw the human grunt, his face grow pale and the coppery scent of blood fill their noses. K was inches from the Chief's face, glaring hatefully at the arrogant human while Klaus remained at the human's shoulder.

"That was the _wrong_ thing to say mate." Klaus growled.

Suddenly the Chief collapsed. K stood with blood pooling at her feet and dripping from her right arm. She'd plunged it into the Chief's chest and squeezed his heart until he died. Eerily slow, K turned her eyes to the rest of the council.

"The next time one of you decides to attack, I'm going to put the names of your families in a hat and pick at random who's body is going to show up in the middle of the Quarter." She told the collective group darkly. "I managed to barter for your lives, not those of your loved ones."

K was ready to leave; having said her piece and delighting in the fear saturating the room, but evidently someone else had other plans. The Mayor shot to his feet quickly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he demanded angrily.

K turned on her heel in an eerily slow fashion that made the humans uncomfortable. Half of them praised the Mayor's bravery in their head while the other half just wanted him to shut up.

K was on edge, angry for what the Chief had said and almost begging for a fight. The human had not only insulted her, struck a fierce nerve in the process, but in her moment of rage, she'd killed someone for no real reason.

"We've been doing things our way for years and you think you can just walk in here and change it? That's not how this works. You vampires,"

Before he could finish his statement, K had moved again. He was suddenly shoved back into his seat with the young vampire leaning over him, her bloody hand propped on the back of his chair as she glared down at the most powerful man in the city. Well, he thought he was.

"What?" she dared in a dark voice. "We vampires are what? Evil? Monsters? Insane?" he didn't speak, but the fear rolled off him like a tidal wave. "No. Shit." She said simply causing both Marcel and Klaus to laugh at her words. "You humans seem to forget that little tidbit far too often for your own good. And if you want to watch your children graduate Mr. Mayor, I suggest you remember that."

She stood to leave again, but the Mayor refused to be denied. He just couldn't keep his mouth shut and it drew on K's patience. Before leaving she said she gave up, that Klaus could carry out his own plan because apparently that group of humans was too stupid to quit while they were ahead. She had tried to save their lives, keep them from being slaughtered by using simple fear so they could realize how dangerous Klaus was, but they wouldn't have it. She'd admit she was weak, driven to kill the Chief by anger, but now it was all of them. K was smart enough to realize Klaus and Marcel were both already chomping at the bit to slaughter the Faction and they would regardless of her previous plan. So she gave up trying to keep them from doing it.

It was a bloodbath.

And so it went. Marcel got his revenge on the Faction and destroyed every one of them. While he fed, Klaus slipped off to follow K. She was nearing the sink behind the bar to wash off her arm, not willing to head outside with blood staining her skin.

"What time does your flight leave?"

K looked over her shoulder to find Klaus leaning against the bar's surface behind her. He held no tone, no anger, no taunting. He was simply asking a question, seemingly without motive.

She glanced to a clock nearby as she faced him, giving the hybrid her attention.

"I'll leave for the airport in little more than an hour." She told him. "Plenty of time to grab something to eat before the long flight."

Klaus eyed her arm and raised a brow to her.

"You just passed up a table filled with people."

She shrugged, brushing off his comment like she didn't want to even try them.

"No thanks." She said. K held up her arm to examine the thick, drying blood on her skin. Klaus took slow steps forward, staring at the same appendage. "The Chief alone has," she lightly sniffed the blood and scowled. "Diabetes and high cholesterol."

Klaus finished closing the distance between them. He gently took her wrist in his hand, not bothering to avoid the blood.

"Not to mention an awful case of bad blood pressure."

K laughed at his stupid joke before she could stop herself. Klaus smiled at the action. She couldn't help it though; his joke was so bad, lame, which made it funny in its own right. She shook her head at him before meeting his gaze again. Klaus's smile slowly faded.

"Would you consider staying?" He asked. K didn't bother hiding her skeptical surprise.

"Why?" she asked and before she could stop herself. "So I can end up someone's pawn in whatever this is?"

Klaus was offended by her comment. He couldn't help it and while he understood the paranoia stemmed from her past betrayal from most of the people she knew, he was insulted she'd suspect the same from him. Klaus's brows pulled together and his eyes turned stern.

"Have I ever used you as anything like that?"

"To my knowledge? No, but you and your siblings seem willing to do just about anything to get at each other."

He sighed, but she wasn't wrong. There was little him or his siblings wouldn't do when it came to each other, or anyone else for that matter.

"Be that as it may, you know I wouldn't repeat their mistakes." He said honestly. A sly smile tugged at his lips. "I've seen how angry you get."

She scoffed a laugh but her smile remained for a moment. Klaus was still holding her wrist, but their arms had lowered and were resting between them. Seriousness seeped back into the air.

"Stay." He suddenly said sincerely.

K couldn't hide the skeptical look. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. Klaus remained silent as she continued to think intensely about whatever was running through her mind.

"Why?" she found herself asking, ready to voice her doubt. "I'm not one of your minions. I'm not family. I don't have anything that would benefit you."

Klaus felt a pit grow in his stomach at the realization she meant everything she said. She didn't understand why he would possibly invite her to his home when she had nothing he could later use to benefit him. It was moments like that the stinging words from his siblings and others about his behavior rang loudly, so he pushed passed it. But with the cold words that always seemed to bubble in his thoughts, other things slowly seeped in too. He remembered what Rebekah had said over breakfast and how Elijah explained why he and K were civil. Perhaps the truth was the way he should approach the situation.

"Because I don't wish to watch you leave again." Klaus replied. "The decision is entirely up to you of course, but please consider remaining here in New Orleans. I'd like you to stay with me... in my home."

Her surprise was evident, but Klaus didn't comment on it, even if it did make him a bit worried.

With a glance over his shoulder, he noticed Marcel was nearly finished eating and knew he had further business to attend to.

"Just know you're always welcomed." He said simply before turning and rejoining the death a few yards away.

K stood for a moment, listening but mostly thinking about the conversation she'd just had. Father Kieran seemed shaken by the bodies that littered the floor around him. He asked Marcel why they'd go after the families, why they'd hurt children. Marcel let the Father in on the plan and explained that little Ashley wasn't and isn't in any danger from Klaus or the other vampires. It was a rouse.

As they continued to speak of business, K quickly washed her arm and left. Klaus glanced in the young woman's direction and watched her leave, wiping her arm dry with a white bar towel before disappearing. He wasn't sure if she'd remain in the city –and he couldn't blame her if she didn't- but he wanted her to.

~~~!~~~

Back at the Mikaelson home, Klaus stood half ascended the stairs speaking with Elijah and finally saying things that needed to be dealt with.

"When you're ready," Klaus began, feeling the words struggle to form and escape his lips. "Should you be so inclined, both you and Rebekah are welcomed to join me here."

Elijah couldn't hide the astonished pride he felt at his brother's obvious growth. It was just another spark to add to the hope he felt for Klaus's redemption. Another glimmer soon made itself known.

The sound of boots clicking against the concrete courtyard drew eyes. Elijah saw the surprise on his brother's features before turning to find the source. K walked tentatively forward, her eyes on Klaus. She seemed nervous, shifting her weight from one foot to another before coming to halt twenty or so feet from him.

While Klaus might not have ordinarily been surprised by her random appearance, he knew the clocks recording the hour neared midnight, hours after her flight was supposed to leave New Orleans. In truth, she should have been somewhere over Arizona if not in the process of landing, and yet there she was.

"I have _no_ idea why I'm here." K mumbled under her breath.

Klaus let a breathy laugh leave him lips. He couldn't help it. He never thought she'd accept his invitation. He assumed she'd be more than willing to leave and never look back, but maybe she saw the same possibility for redemption Elijah still saw.

"Does," she muttered, pausing to find the strength to shove her nerves back into the pit of her stomach. "Does your offer still stand?"

Klaus valiantly hid his elation and nodded.

"Of course." He answered softly. "Come," he offered her his hand. "Let's find you a room."

Still apprehensive, but clearly motivated, K stepped forward. She caught Elijah's eye as she passed him near the base of the stairs. He couldn't hide his proud smile and didn't feel he needed to. He watched as she walked up the stairs and took Klaus's hand. Together they made it to the second floor and disappeared within the dwelling.

She might have been silent on the outside, but K's mind was reeling. She didn't know why she was there. She didn't know why she continued to find herself near the Mikaelson family. And she didn't know why she couldn't let go of the hybrid's hand.

Elijah's smile beamed with the prospect of happiness for his brother. Perhaps after a thousand years Klaus's mind would finally know peace.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Klaus led the young woman through the expansive manor in the heart of the city. He saw her glancing at things, taking in the beautiful décor, but he could honestly take only partial credit for it. They walked in silence and all the while K hadn't taken her hand back from him. Klaus found himself wondering when she would if at all.

K hadn't noticed after a while because it wasn't the main thing on her mind. She still found it surprising that she'd come to his house in the first place. She didn't know what possessed her only that her feet had taken her there after hours of thought.

Klaus led her down another hallway before stopping in front of a door. He opened it and showed her what lay within. K was amazed by the room and stepped in without hesitation to admire it, releasing Klaus's hand in the process. He gradually stepped in behind her.

The room was filled with deep wooden tones, a large canopy bed resting against the wall, elaborately carved dresser on the opposite side of the room from it, double French door leading to a balcony and the door to a private bathroom in the corner. There were sheer fabrics fluttering over the windows and deep burgundy and red fabrics everywhere else.

"Do you like it?" he asked when she hadn't spoken for a moment or two.

"Yeah," she nodded softly, still taking in everything surrounding her.

A slight smile touched his lips briefly.

"I know red isn't your color," he said, walking further into the room to speak to her instead of lingering in the doorway. "But it'll have to do for tonight I'm afraid. I didn't think you'd come, otherwise I'd have decorated it appropriately."

"It's fine." She said, turning to face him. "Don't go through the trouble."

"Nonsense." He said shaking his head at the comment.

Klaus hesitated to do anything for a moment. He stared at K and thought sincerely about what he was going to say. The inevitable embarrassment he knew he'd feel began to surface, but he had to remember that of the small handful of people who truly knew him, the woman standing across from him belonged to that group.

"Something wrong?" she asked, noticing the rather intense stare in his eyes. It made her uncomfortable.

"I've realized in the passed few days," Klaus began. Like with Elijah, he found it difficult to get the words out that would admit his own failings as an individual, but knew he had no choice in the matter. Hesitantly he met her gaze. "That perhaps I don't always react the way I should when confronted with some situations."

K felt a single brow slowly begin to climb on her forehead. She wasn't sure where the conversation was leading, but knew Klaus wasn't the only one in the room uncomfortable with it. But as he stood there, trying to find more words to stumble over when confronted with the situation he found himself in, Klaus decided that perhaps blurting was the best way to remedy it.

"I'm sorry, Kalli." He said suddenly. K's second brow rose to join the first. She couldn't hide the shock she felt at his words. "Even as a girl, you never saw me as a monster despite knowing what I am. But ever since finding you in the woods again, I've done nothing but give you evidence to the contrary. It… it wasn't my intention to keep hurting you."

"Then why do it?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

He chewed on his bottom lip briefly and felt his eyes begin to tint. He could tell she truly wanted to know and he found it difficult not to tell her. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time he told her something more personal than he had anyone else.

"I didn't want you to see me as the rest of the world does," he said under his breath. "As my own family does. I didn't want you to see what I'd become."

The answer was petty, but it was true. When Klaus saw her in the woods with the Salvatores and the witch, he couldn't believe his eyes. He recognized her immediately and while he briefly felt relief, the immense fear shining back at him through her eyes forced him to remember how she saw him the last time they'd been together.

At the high school when he turned Tyler, Klaus had no choice but to incapacitate her. The only way to do it to a vampire is a broken neck. While he'd have killed anyone else for less, he couldn't truly hurt K.

The only time he'd abandoned her when he should have done otherwise was in the van. His plans had been simple, to save Caroline and leave Rebekah behind. The female couldn't be killed and while she'd hate him for a time, Rebekah in the end would be okay and Klaus would garner some favor from Caroline. He hadn't thought K would be there. The hybrids he'd sent to find out where she lived told him she was living in California, the other side of the country and far away. He hadn't anticipated her being there in the van and he had no choice but to leave her. He'd realized his mistake afterwards yes, but he hadn't even spotted K until after freeing Caroline.

Everything else, every other selfish action, jab to push her away and cruel comment to strike at any nerve was to ensure K couldn't see him for what he was. Klaus prided himself on the fear his name garnered, but he couldn't stand the judging stares. He brushed most of them off because people like his family, the Salvatores, the Gilberts and etc had blood on their hands too. They'd done the same things he had just with less ambition, so in the end their tainted opinions meant little to nothing. But K hadn't. K wasn't violent or cruel while she was human and after hearing what she'd spent her after life doing, Klaus realized the trait never came. So he couldn't let her see how twisted he was, how broken and hollow. It was a foolish pride that served no purpose in the end other than to hurt someone who never hurt him.

Klaus stood across from K, his hands behind his back and jaw tense as he tried to keep it still. He'd meet her eyes for seconds at best before staring again at something else. But she could see him. She could see the pink tint and the glassy shine of his eyes. She could see him struggling to keep whatever composure he had and she knew he was trying to keep from being embarrassed or shedding a tear.

She didn't know how to react.

"You're the only one who never lied to me or betrayed me," he said under his breath before meeting her eyes. "The only person aside from my siblings that showed me love and I rewarded it with pain, lies, manipulation and your own demise. I am truly sorry Kalliope and I will make it up to you. You have my word."

Her mouth parted with a breathy gasp. She felt herself speak again without her permission, saying things she probably shouldn't have, but that didn't stop her.

"What happened to you?" K's eyes narrowed and her brows came together. "What happened that's made you so hateful and cruel?"

He flinched marginally at her comment, but it was true. Klaus didn't reply immediately. He didn't want to tell her he became what he was in some part because of her. Elijah was more astute than he realized. After Klaus heard about K's 'death' he stopped caring. He wanted everyone and everything to feel his pain and soon he grew to enjoy it. He enjoyed making people as miserable as him. Eventually it spilled over and affected his family and the vicious cycle began. Soon hatred just became a part of who he was and he found it difficult to be anything else. More of himself than he thought had burned in the fire he thought killed K.

"I'm just a monster." He said finally.

"I don't believe that." She said honestly. "You could stop if you chose to."

"I'm not so certain." He replied. Klaus's voice shook just a bit.

It broke her heart that he honestly believed his statement. She could see in his eyes he truly believed he was a monster, and maybe he was? She didn't know. Everyone else in the world seemed to think so. And then Klaus said something neither of them ever assumed would leave his lips.

"Please don't leave."

K's brows twitched briefly and her mouth went lax. The words were muttered so quietly, she wondered if she heard anything at all. Klaus had such a fear of abandonment; he wasn't sure if he could handle K leaving him too and had to say something about it, even if it exposed him.

They continued to stare at one another for a moment, then two and more. K felt her eyes begin to burn and knew she was near tears, though the precise reason behind them was foreign to her. Klaus had said his piece and it was obvious K couldn't form words, so he decided to act first.

"I'll leave you to rest for the evening." He told her simply. Klaus walked to the door and gripped the ornate brass knob. He looked to her. "Goodnight."

"Night." Was all she could manage.

And with that parting glance, Klaus closed the door. K's brows pulled together so tightly in the center of her forehead it hurt. She had no idea how to fathom the conversation she'd just had with Klaus. It was too foreign for comfort. Every once and a while, she'd get glimpses of the man he used to be, the one that showed her love, but then whatever he'd gone through in their time apart would choke it out.

~~~!~~~

Rebekah and Hayley spoke in hushed tones, unwilling to give Klaus even the slightest hint they were speaking to one another. Rebekah was more than willing to bond with the she-wolf just to get back at her brother and Marcel when something caught her attention.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Rebekah asked, stunned by seeing K walking through the courtyard. As far as she knew, the vampire left the night before. Then again, Rebekah had been so deep in her plots with Marcel, she and K hardly spoke during the last couple of days of her visit.

Hayley glanced around the edge of the column she was hiding behind and noticed what surprised Rebekah so completely.

"Oh, right," she sighed with no enthusiasm. She looked to Rebekah and pumped as much sarcastic joy into her words as possible. "She moved in last night."

Rebekah raised a brow to the wolf and her falsely chipper declaration.

"Why?" she asked, unable to hide her disbelief.

"I don't know." Hayley shrugged. "I guess Klaus asked her to move in and bam, here she is."

Rebekah's brows came together. She hadn't been there for their discussion, but at least knew K well enough Klaus couldn't try and trick her into moving in with him. Regardless it didn't make much sense to the blond.

Without another word to Hayley, Rebekah made her way after K. The dark haired vampire wove through the day walkers lingering in the halls and people walking around. It was busy, far busier than she'd expected it to be for the morning, but she pushed her irritation down.

She awoke early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, after a relatively sleepless night. She couldn't get comfortable and didn't know why. There was something itching at the back of her neck that refused to be ignored. Eventually it drew on her last nerve so she went out. Taking to the rooftops, K danced along ledges and railings, walking nearly the entire city. She sat atop the Palace Royale hotel and watched the sun rise, all the while thinking.

As she sat on the ledge of the old hotel looking over the city that refused to let anything –including Mother Nature- keep her down, the sun rose into the sky. It was beautiful and the first real sunrise she'd watched free. The pinks and oranges were beautiful, shining off buildings, forcing trees to glow and reflecting in any standing water. It was stunning, but again her mind was filled with something else.

Klaus.

His declaration the night before had caught her entirely off guard. He wasn't a humble person, he didn't say things that would expose him to a soul and there he stood apologizing and telling her things she didn't know. K didn't think his ridiculous explanation to keep her from seeing him in a bad light justified what he'd done, but the fact he admitted it amazed her.

She'd spent the hours since waking replaying the conversation in her head, taking in every detail, every facial twitch and look Klaus had when he spoke. She probed her mind to find a tell, to see where in his words she could find a lie. It went that way until nearly ten o'clock before she realized what she was doing. She was beginning to think like the Mikaelsons, finding the lie and betrayal in every spoken word whether it was there or not. She didn't like it.

K made her way back to the Mikaelson home suddenly aware she was at risk of turning into the very people everyone seemed to hate. As easy as it would have been, she couldn't. She couldn't slip into their way of thinking because it would cause more problems than ignoring the comments. It wasn't until one of the siblings _assumed_ the other was being deceptive that things blew up. They'd always act before the one who was being sincere could and in turn start a fight that never needed to happen. If she turned into anything in her life, it wasn't going to be a vindictive, bitter ass. She was going to wait and see, give Klaus enough rope to either hang himself or not before she reacted.

So K walked home and wove through the groups of people to her room. She didn't know Rebekah was behind her and she didn't know that Klaus had been in her room while she was gone.

The footsteps grew closer, but K paid them little attention given the sheer amount of bodies walking around. Rebekah was almost to her, ready to speak when K gripped her doorknob.

"Kalli," she said quickly.

K twitched. She turned her head towards the blond, her face blank and void of any emotion for a moment. She wasn't shocked to see Rebekah given where she was residing, but she was a bit surprised.

"What do you want?" she asked simply.

"I want to talk to you." Rebekah replied, finally reaching K's side.

K nodded. She opened her door and suddenly froze. Her mouth went slack and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Whoa…" she muttered, stepping into the room with Rebekah behind her.


	37. Chapter 37

**This one is loooooong... but I hope you guys like it. And thank you!**

Chapter 37

Rebekah stared at the room with relative indifference. She didn't understand why K was so shocked by it when Hayley said she'd arrived the night before. But then she began to notice things. The linens looked fresh, and not only fresh, but new. The drapes still had the hint of a crease that hadn't fallen out yet and the fabrics all smelled like they'd only recently been exposed to the air. And a vase of fresh flowers were resting on a small, round, cherry wood end table near the now open French doors.

"I take it this isn't what you were expecting." Rebekah said.

K shook her head. The reds were gone; every shade of the color that wasn't nestled deeply in the warm woods had been changed. Pale, soft blues filled the room. The overstuffed bedding had been changed to powder blue fabric with faintly drawn designs on the comforter, the edges of crisp white sheets peeking out beneath it. A wispy white curtain fell in gentle waves from the canopy of her bed, gathered primarily at the posts and pooled on the ground. The rugs had been changed, pillows, even the upholstery on the chairs and –of all things- the wall paper was suddenly new. Instead of the deep red and cream colored paper that filled the room, it was now a soft blue to match the fabrics with an intricate floral design in silver. The color was almost invisible until the light caught it just right, then the wall would glow with the beautifully subtle design. And in the clear glass vase rested K's favorite flowers, bright white gardenias with purple/blue hyacinths nestled within.

"This room was red last night…" K said under her breath, struggling to come to terms with the vast change and beauty of the room she stood in.

Rebekah didn't comment on the matter. It was obvious Klaus had done the remodel –probably with the help of a small handful of vampires- all because he knew her favorite color was blue and he wanted her to stay.

"Wow." She breathed, still in awe. She had almost forgotten about Rebekah entirely.

"Kalli," Rebekah said, getting over the room's drastic change relatively quickly and needing to say what she'd come to say. K tore her eyes from her surroundings and turned to Rebekah. "I want your help overthrowing Klaus, Elijah and Marcel. Soon the three of them will sit atop their throne, lording their power over everyone else whilst you and I and everyone else that's always been there will be left out in the cold."

"It won't work." K said, sitting on the bed and immediately feeling a difference. "Jesus. I think he bought me a new mattress too."

Rebekah raised a brow. She took K's refusal as sudden adoration for her brother. It hurt her feelings more than she thought it would.

"Well, it looks as though Nik's trying to win back your approval. I'll say this for my brother, he seems to have finally learned being an ass wins you no friends."

The comment was made with a hint of jealousy that began to add validity to the things Klaus told K the night before.

"So, I've an offer to make." Rebekah suddenly chimed after a moment or two of nothing.

K gave her a skeptical glance.

"I plan to show the boys _exactly_ what us girls are capable of." Rebekah said simply. "In the spirit of the Casket Girls and all others who've been run over and held back by whatever men they have in their lives, I've decided to take the thing those two covet more than anything." She let a wicked smile touch her lips. "This city."

"You're going to steal New Orleans out from under your brother and boyfriend?"

Rebekah's upper lip twitched just a hint at the mention of Marcel still being her beau.

"Marcel made his choice. He'd rather stand with Niklaus than leave with me and live a real life."

"Hell hath no fury." K replied.

"Yes well, if anyone else in this world knows what it feels like to be pushed around by Nik, it'd be you. So," she smiled again. "What do you say? Join me?"

K let a disbelieving laugh leave her lips. Rebekah had just thrown a lot of information at her in the span of a couple minutes and apparently expected K to just jump at the chance to help. While at one point she probably would have, K wasn't so sure anymore. Again she remembered the sincerity on Klaus's words the night before.

"While I appreciate the offer, I think I'm going to pass."

Rebekah's face turned cold.

"Really?" she asked with a tone. "So Niklaus dresses up your room nice and pretty and you're ready to just jump back into his arms."

It was K's turn at insult. She openly glowered at Rebekah for the suggestion.

"I'm not getting involved with _either_ of you." K said tersely, standing from the bed and taking a step closer to Rebekah to help instill her point. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that while you Mikaelsons rant and rage and do God knows what to each other, you end up completely unscathed."

"Unscathed? I've spent more than a century in a box with a-"

"A dagger in you chest, yeah I know." K snapped. "But that's it. So you sleep for a few decades, big deal. Do you realize how many bodies pile up in the mean time whenever you guys start fighting with each other? Everyone else around you dies in the chaos all because you guys can't get along for more than a few years."

"That's not true."

Rebekah believed K's words, but it didn't mean she liked them so she said the only thing that came to mind. K's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open in shock.

"Are you serious? I _am_ one of those bodies that piled up, or did you suddenly forget how I came about this privileged life?" She said sternly. "So, forgive me for not readily agreeing to play a part in your war."

Rebekah's jaw tightened. She hadn't expected K to so vehemently refuse joining her after everything brothers had done to her, but evidently she was. In truth, K believed whole heartedly in her statement. She knew that if she got involved and picked a side that she would be the one who suffered for it, not Rebekah, not Elijah and not Klaus, her and all the other normal vampires/humans/witches or anyone else that wasn't an Original. It was the same story every time.

"Is that really all it takes for Klaus to make girls swoon now? Shiny things?" Rebekah asked insulted. She couldn't help it. Her pride was bruised and she tended to lash out at those who'd hurt it. "Have you already forgotten what he put you through while you were human, what he did to you in Mystic Falls?"

"He never hurt me when I was human." She shot back. "He never laid a finger on me unlike everyone else in your family. And as for Mystic Falls, who in that shit town _didn't_ try to kill me? Even you tried a few times."

"How are you so naive?" Rebekah scoffed. "You just let people walk all over you, don't you? When are you going to learn that Klaus only loves himself? Whatever the two of you had died centuries ago."

"You don't think I know that? You don't think that I'm completely aware of how jacked up this is? But I can't help it. He and I were together for almost three years when I was alive and then Elijah just made it all disappear. I went my whole life like a blank slate until a few months ago after he broke that damn curse and it all came screaming back. I'm too busy trying to make my brain shut up and figure out what the hell the rest of me's feeling to get in the middle of whatever petty crap the rest of you have going on."

"The only reward for loving my brother is pain and suffering." Rebekah said strongly, her jaw tight as she tried to instill her point. Part of her didn't want to see K get sucked into Klaus's hatred. "He's not the same person he was when you knew him. That part of him died a long time ago. Don't repeat my mistakes. There's no saving Niklaus."

"Maybe." K replied in the same calm tone as Rebekah. K looked down for a moment as she remembered the conversation she had with Klaus. "But I don't know anymore."

The air in the room was tense when K sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Look, if you and your brothers want to start a war with each other, fight over this city or whatever else you plan to do, fine. I'm not going to stop you and I'm not going to rat you out, but I'm not getting involved either." K replied calmly. "If I was going to be on _anyone's_ side, it's going to be the poor bastards that get stuck in the middle."

Rebekah seemed to mull over her words for a moment or two. The blond relaxed and dropped the arms she'd crossed over her chest. She couldn't press K, not when she'd already been sucked into more than one feud between the Mikaelson brats.

"Fine." She said begrudgingly. "But promise me you won't breathe a word of this to Niklaus or anyone else."

K held up three fingers in a familiar salute.

"Scout's honor." She said with a hint of a smile. Rebekah soon shared the sentiment and the tension in the room lifted completely. "But feel free not to tell me any of your plans. I don't much feel like getting on the wrong side of either of your brothers if they think I helped plot."

"Fair enough." Rebekah agreed. "I suppose I should be off then. Lots to do."

K nodded and watched as Rebekah left, closing the door behind her when she disappeared.

K lingered in her room, slowly sitting on her bed again. She shook her head at Rebekah's idea. While it could easily work, it could just as easily fail and there was no telling what might happen then. After all, Rebekah had already tried to overthrow her brother once with Marcel's help and that ended very badly.

K was too confused as it was without adding to it by the insane Originals. She knew rationally she should probably have joined Rebekah to fight Klaus, but she couldn't. Klaus was showing hints of the man he used to be, slowly becoming normal again while the animosity and paranoid hatred was beginning to dwindle.

If anything over the passed few weeks taught K anything, it was that she loved Klaus more than she thought she did and she hated herself for it. She knew she shouldn't. She knew what Klaus had done; who he was, but she'd seen another side of him. She'd seen him kind, caring and even loving. Those images were burned in her mind and made all the fresher by the spell's release and she had trouble forgetting them. Maybe she was just as naive as Elijah, just as stupid, but part of her wanted to at least see if _that_ Klaus was gone forever or capable of resurrection.

~~~!~~~

By nightfall the festival raged outside the walls of the Mikaelson home. K was anxious to go see what was happening, more than willing to linger along the rooftops and watch the display below like a creepy gargoyle. She had no desire to participate, only study the humans having their fun. She didn't dress up for the event, but that didn't matter.

As K made her way across the courtyard and towards the front door, she managed to come across Elijah and Klaus.

"Kalliope, where are you heading in such a rush?" Elijah asked with a grin.

"The festival." She said simply. She eyed the pair. "I don't even want to know what the two of you are doing, do I?"

The brothers seemed to muse over her rather apt assessment.

"Well, I'm sure by now you've heard the gossip floating around." Klaus said leisurely. And she had. It was all the others were talking about, the little witch Davina who walked right out the front door. "We're on your way to find her and bring her back where she belongs."

K cocked a brow at his declaration. There was a distinct edge and tone she recognized. Elijah did as well and both knew it wasn't a good sign.

"Willingly?" she asked cautiously.

"If she's smart." Klaus answered simply.

K was shocked, though she knew she probably shouldn't have been. Before she could stop herself, she said something she felt needed to be understood.

"Don't be cruel." She told him. Klaus's predatory smile faltered quickly. Both he and Elijah looked at her curiously. "I'm serious Niklaus, don't be cruel."

"That _girl_," he hissed, ready to spout how she betrayed them, how she snuck away in the middle of the night and everything else he could think that would justify what he planned to do, but he was cut off by K.

"Exactly." She interrupted. "She's a girl. How old is she, seventeen?"

"Sixteen." Elijah corrected.

K was stunned, but tried to remove the expression quickly when her eyes shifted back to Klaus.

"She's a child, just a little girl and from what I can understand she's been pushed around by people trying to use her for one thing or another." She said. K looked Klaus right in the eye and it made him uncomfortable because of the intensity. "Just don't be cruel."

Klaus's brow twitched for a split second and that was the end of his reaction.

"Enjoy the festival love." He said simply before walking passed her and out into the crowds.

Elijah lingered for a moment. He shared a glance with K that spoke silent volumes.

~~~!~~~

An hour or more had passed and K was enjoying herself away from the dramatic family and their –generally- unsuccessful plans. She leapt effortlessly from one rooftop to the neighbor's, sure to stay out of sight, and delighting in the band down below when her phone went off. She reached into her back pocket and answered it without a second thought.

"Yeah?" she asked loudly over the music.

_"Kalli, I need your help."_ Rebekah said urgently. It forced K to pay attention.

"Why? What's happening?"

_"It's Nik. He poisoned Davina. I don't know how to help her."_

"Where are you?"

Rebekah gave her directions to Marcel's crypt and K left without hesitation. A child, a little girl was sucked into the chaos between siblings and she was dying. Klaus had been cruel after K asked him not to… She was just a girl.

Within minutes K appeared in the doorway to the crypt only to find two children lying on the ground side by side, a vampire she didn't recognize and a horrified Rebekah.

"Oh my god." She muttered.

"That sick bastard!" Rebekah yelled angrily. She'd just gotten off the phone with her brother; Klaus telling her Davina shouldn't have betrayed him.

"It hurts." Davina cried, her body trembling and shaking as it ached with the purest pain.

The others mobilized around her, but K was the one who knelt by her side. She gently touched the girl's skin and felt it sweltering.

"Shh, it's okay." She said as calmly as she could. K felt her stomach lurch and her heart ache for the obvious agony the girl was in. She could relate.

Davina stared at the newcomer with the bright green eyes and dark hair.

"Who are you?" she groaned, trying to keep the shaking from affecting her voice, but it didn't work.

"K." she said kindly, smiling as warmly as she could. "I'm going to try and take some of the pain away, okay?"

"No, don't touch me."

Davina tried to push K back with either her arms or her magic, but she was too weak and too raked with pain to concentrate.

"Its okay, it's okay." K repeated, grabbing Davina's arms and holding them as securely as she could without hurting her. "You have to trust me. I won't hurt you, I promise."

Rebekah stepped forward and hovered over the pair.

"Kalli's a friend." She said, hoping it would help. "She won't hurt you."

Davina didn't seem to believe either of them, but they didn't have time. She started sweating and biting back screams.

K moved around her and knelt by Davina's head, sitting on her knees before guiding the girl's head into her lap. K swept her hair aside and began to gently touch Davina's neck. Her fingertips danced along the girl's skin, Davina crying in pain, until K found the spot she needed. She applied the softest pressure and slowly Davina's heavy breathing began to even out and her body relaxed.

"There you go." K whispered reassuringly. "Just relax."

"How are you doing that?" the vampire she didn't know asked.

K looked up with a questioning stare.

"You are?"

"Oh, Josh. Hey." He offered with a halfhearted wave.

K nodded.

"I'm K." she said.

"Caught that. So, what are you doing?"

"It's a pressure point." She answered. "It's helping numb half of her body at the moment."

"Wow, nice."

K laughed lightly. It was obvious Josh was incredibly uncomfortable with the situation and seemed to be one of those people who talked a lot to cope with it.

"Where'd you learn that?" Rebekah asked, kneeling down beside her to watch as Davina calmed to near sleeping at nothing more than K's touch.

"I've had to help deliver my fair share of children." K joked lightly.

"The Bennett witches."

"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "I even delivered one on a ship. We'd been at sea for so long coming here; she went into labor before we reached shore."

Rebekah shared Kalli's soft smile while Josh seemed to be stuck on the wording.

"On a ship? Don't they have like, doctors and nurses for that kind of thing?" Josh asked.

K laughed lightly at his question and shook her head.

"Kid, this was four hundred and fifty-some odd years ago. Not too many doctors on ships back then."

"Oh wow… so you're like older than Marcel, right?"

Rebekah shook her head, the sad smile still lingering on her lips.

"Darling," she said, drawing his eyes. "That girl's ancient."

There was a hint of mocking that made K roll her eyes.

"Seriously? You're older than me." K shot back in mild irritation.

"By barely half a century."

K shrugged her agreement. It was true. K had done the math long ago when she was still human. Elijah had been frozen forever at twenty-six years old, Finn at twenty-four, Klaus at twenty-two, Kol at twenty-one and Rebekah at nineteen like her. When Klaus and K began whatever their relationship was, she was sixteen and he was fifty-two. That made Rebekah only fifty-two years old chronologically when K was turned. In their world, she was older than K by a blink. But in their world, that blink meant the difference between strong and nearly invincible.

"Holy shit. So you're old, like _really_ old."

K raised a brow to him and his relatively pointless line of questioning, ready to say something to him when she noticed it. Her eyes shot to the girl in her hands. Rebekah could sense the sudden panic.

"What is it?" she asked, mirroring K's worry.

Reluctantly the dark haired vampire met Rebekah's gaze.

"Her pulse is slowing." She said under her breath.

They grew silent, the three unnatural beings surrounding the girl, her boyfriend already having fallen silent, and watched as Davina slipped away.

~~~!~~~

They waited for what felt like an eternity before Davina woke from her death. The same, however, couldn't be said for her friend. She cried for the young man she obviously loved and it broke both Rebekah and K's hearts. Josh felt badly for Davina too and held the young girl while she cried.

Eventually, Rebekah convinced Davina to leave the cellar. K promised Davina she'd take care of Tim. Davina almost wouldn't let her, but Rebekah agreed to take the young woman with K as she carried the boy home. They were going to place him in his bed and while having his parents find the poor boy's body in his room would be heart breaking, none of them wanted to leave him in the crypt alone.

After ensuring Tim got the most respect he could have, the two female vampires took Davina back to the Mikaelson home while Josh disappeared to hide in the attic of the church. They made it only a few blocks before Davina collapsed under the sheer weight of her agony. Rebekah caught her and lifted her into her arms where the poor witch continued to cry.

By the time they made it back home, Davina had slipped into a feigned slumber. Rebekah handed her off to Marcel. Klaus and Elijah looked on, only one of them feeling sadness at the scene while the other felt discomfort. When Marcel walked off leaving K and Rebekah standing side by side in the entryway to the courtyard, their eyes fell to Klaus.

He moved uncomfortably under their weight of their combined angry/disappointed gazes. He could tell they wanted to spout their rage, yell from the heavens that he was a disgusting monster, but they didn't. Instead, Rebekah simply shook her head and left without a word. K did the same, walking passed Klaus and towards her room. He would have preferred the yelling, the hatred because their silence was deafening.


	38. Chapter 38

**Kinda rushed I guess, but there was a lot going on.**

Chapter 38

The house shook, glass clinked and shattered and K was nearly taken from her feet. She raced out of her bedroom to the balcony like the others had and saw everything was shaking.

"What the hell's going on!?" Rebekah demanded from the courtyard.

"Davina." Klaus growled.

K's head snapped to him.

"Where is she?" she demanded angrily, charging towards him in her nightclothes. "Where the hell is she?!"

Klaus didn't respond but pointed in the general direction. K didn't hesitate to run towards Davina's room. She found it quickly on scent and sounds alone. By the time she reached the door however, the shaking began to subside. Rebekah appeared behind her soon enough.

K hesitantly entered the witch's room. She looked around as though something might fall on her before taking one side of the bed and Rebekah the other.

"Are you okay?" K asked.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." She said softly.

K reached forward. Davina flinched which caused her to pause, but K expected the reaction. She waited a moment until Davina calmed before lightly pressing the back of her hand to the girl's forehead.

"Jesus," she breathed. "You're burning up." She touched her forehead, cheeks and the side of her throat. All of her skin was warm and growing warmer. "I'll be right back."

K left the room to gather a basin of cool water and a rag. She didn't want to risk the girl getting sicker. Rebekah asked Davina what she was doing. They'd come to an arrangement to disrupt the household and cause disorder. Rebekah respected K's wish to not be involved, so she waited until the vampire was gone to make the plans, but whatever Davina was doing was much stronger. It became obvious quickly she didn't know what was happening to her.

In the halls, K had grabbed a basin and filled it with the cool water she needed, the cotton cloth hanging gently over the lip. She was making her way back to Davina's room when Klaus came across her path. K hesitated in her step, but recovered quickly. She refused to meet his eyes and tried to trudge passed him –forgetting entirely she was still wearing her pajamas- only to have Klaus grab her bicep to stop her. K spun on her heel to face him.

"_Don't_ touch me." She hissed, wrenching her arm from his grasp. Klaus let go easily. His face remained blank. "I asked you not to be cruel and you do the worst thing you could to that poor girl shy of killing her."

K tried to leave again, but Klaus spoke. He felt he had to say his piece.

"I had no choice." He said when K had already made it a few feet away.

She spun again to face him with rage touching her features. His jaw again was tight and he avoided her eyes for longer than he looked at them. She knew that behavior well enough to realize something. She sighed and dropped her head.

"You honestly believe that, don't you?" she asked. Klaus didn't say anything for a moment. "You had a choice, Niklaus, but you've gotten so used to thinking stuff like this is okay that you do it without second thought. Do you have any idea what you've put that girl through? She already has to deal with people treating her like a weapon, but you go and take the _only_ thing in this world that made her feel normal, human. She's completely heartbroken, do you even understand how that-"

"Yes, I do." He interrupted, speaking through a tight jaw. He stared angrily at her, insulted by her comments. "I understand perfectly well how that feels."

K didn't speak. She could tell fairly quickly he was referencing her 'death' and it made her fidget uncomfortably. She found her footing in her anger soon enough to share a parting jab.

"Then why would you put someone else through that?" she asked without expecting an answer.

When K turned to leave, Klaus didn't stop her. He let her rejoin the little witch in the other room. In truth Klaus had nothing else to say. He knew how Davina felt; he'd been there before, but in his defense he never assumed she'd live too.

The house suddenly began to shake and Davina's scream echoed through the compound. Klaus had more pressing concerns at the moment than appearing good in K's eyes, no matter how much he wanted to.

~~~!~~~

Davina hadn't gotten any better. K took a spot on the bed near the girl and tried to keep her growing fever down. She was still sweating, still trembling and K was running out of ways to keep her comfortable. The only thing he could think to do was let the poor child grab her hand and squeeze as hard as possible when one of the fits came around.

Davina screamed, her body tensed and K had to fight a wince at the strength involved. Seconds passed, the house shook again, but soon Davina calmed and let go of K's hand. Like she had every other time Davina rocked the earth, K dipped the cotton cloth in the water and began to dab the child's skin. Davina found herself eying the vampire skeptically.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked skeptically. "Do you want something from me too?"

K cocked a brow at the question. Davina didn't bother hiding her annoyance, but K wasn't offended.

"Why? You offering a spell?"

Davina rolled her eyes and moved just enough K couldn't touch her with the rag.

"That's all you vampires want, for me to do something for you." She said under her breath.

K scoffed, drawing Davina's eyes.

"I don't want anything from you." K told her simply. "Sorry if that's not what you were expecting, but I don't."

Davina didn't believe her, but K didn't care. Instead of pressing, she wrung out the rag again before returning it to Davina's forehead.

"Really?" she asked, drawing K's eyes. "Nothing?"

"No," K sighed softly. "Not unless you could make my head shut the hell up." She teased with a weak smile. "Thousand year old memories are still a little jumbled.

"But… you're not an Original."

K snorted a laugh and shook her head.

"God no."

"But, I thought they were the only ones that old."

"No." she said simply. "They make it sound like they're only a thousand years old, but seriously, are you going to walk around saying you're one thousand and fifty something, or just round it off? They've been vampires for over a thousand years, me just under."

"How old are you?"

"Physically? Nineteen. Chronologically, nine hundred and ninety-six." She said sheepishly, as though she were embarrassed by her intense age. "Ninety-seven in a couple months."

"What do you do with that much time?" Davina asked sincerely. K met her eyes and found herself surprised by the question. No one had ever asked that before. "That just seems so… long."

"It is." She nodded. "But I had stuff to keep me busy. I spent the time with a family I met right after turning. They were good people, witches like you." She smiled softly.

Davina nodded slowly before another tidal wave of agony washed through her. Again she screamed and reached for K's offered hand.

"Holy hell…" K grumbled as Davina clung to her harder than she had thus far.

The shaking lasted about as long as the times before and eventually ended. Davina's breathing began to calm and she let go of K's hand. Kalli immediately began to shake the appendage.

"I think you broke a couple bones that time."

Davina laughed weakly, but eventually began to drift into sleep. It was the first time in a while she had so K was going to let her. Grabbing her things, she slipped out of the room to give the witch time to rest.

While some –including Marcel- didn't know why the young woman was paying Davina so much attention, it seemed obvious to Rebekah and Klaus. They knew K had a pesky need to help people and she'd already told Rebekah she was going to be on the side of the bystanders.

~~~!~~~

After Sophie explained what was happening, Rebekah relayed the information to Davina and K. Davina was terrified at the mention of completing the Harvest and rightfully so. It was her life they wanted to take away. Rebekah shoved the needle into the young witch's arm as winds ripped around the house, banging shutters and threatening to tear it apart.

"You want to sacrifice her?" K asked in shock when Davina was sleeping.

"We don't have a choice." Rebekah snapped. "Either the magic kills her, or they complete the ritual and Davina can come back." She relaxed slowly. "There's no other way."

K ran her fingers through her hair, curling them into fists and yanking angrily at her own locks. She growled loudly. She was basically being asked to sit back and watch them kill a girl who'd spent nearly a year being shuffled around and used as a tool. It was heart breaking.

Later, Rebekah found an IV and plugged it into Davina's arms. The first dose made the winds die down, but the magic was spilling out of her small frame too quickly now. The IV barely helped.

While she slept, K took the chance to leave her bed. Klaus had ensured a few sentries to remain at the door, so K took it upon herself to finally change into real clothes. Evidently Marcel was waiting for her to leave and sprang into action quickly after K cleared the room.

When K returned Davina was gone, the sentries were lying on the ground with their necks snapped and Rebekah was on the phone with Elijah. The winds picked up immediately. When Klaus heard her behind him, he spun to face K, seething with anger.

"Where the hell were you?" he demanded angrily. "Haven't you been standing vigil since this ordeal began?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she shot back in a thick tone of sarcasm. "But I kind of thought your lackeys could handle a drugged girl while I changed clothes. Was I supposed to just walk around the house all day in a pair of shorts and a frilly top?"

Klaus took a step forward.

"You offering, love?"

"Shut up." She snapped.

They were tense and in another situation Klaus's words might have been flirty. As it was they were just something that came out given her statement.

"Are the two of you finished?" Rebekah asked angrily as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. "We've got a girl to find before this city burns."

"Fine." They snapped in unison before dividing territory to scour.

~~~!~~~

A few hours later, Elijah had managed to persuade his siblings to consecrate their mother. Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah milled around the den discussing the downfall of what they were about to do, but they had no choice. The lightening that had been splitting the sky was no longer alone. Soon the rain began to fall and sheets of it blanketed the city.

K knocked on the doorjamb before entering just to let them know they were no longer alone. She turned an annoyed glance to Klaus who'd sent one of his minions to find her.

"You rang?" she asked sarcastically.

He was mildly amused by her comment, but in the end there was too much happening around them for him to truly enjoy the quip.

"Yes." He said, walking towards her. "Come with me."

K followed Klaus through the halls and down into the basement. She didn't hide her sarcasm.

"Planning to lock me in a cellar, Niklaus?" she joked halfheartedly.

He smiled, but continued to jog lightly down the steps into the bowels of the home.

"Not exactly. We're just here to retrieve my dearly departed mother. I've something else for you to do."

K curled her nose. "I have a feeling I'm not going to enjoy this."

When they reached the base of the steps, Klaus turned to face her. K spotted the small assortment of caskets behind him. She remembered five. There were only three remaining and soon only two. When she met his eyes, she noticed any hint of a smile was gone and seriousness took hold.

"This is going to become worse before it gets better, and I need you to do something for me." He told her simply. "I want you to stay by my side from now until this ends."

K raised a brow. His demand was an odd one to say the least.

"I'm sorry?"

"I want you to stay at my side until this is over."

"Why?" she drew out the word because she was honestly having trouble understanding his request. "You do know you can't tell me what to do right?"

"I don't want anything to happen to you."

K flinched. It wasn't that what he said made her uncomfortable –necessarily- but there was a hint of unease.

"It's just raining right now." She defended, uncertain of how else she was meant to proceed with the conversation. Klaus's demand to stay close suddenly made her want to defy him just because. "I can swim you know."

"And when the fires start?" he dared. Klaus's voice turned tense the longer she seemed to fight him. "I'll not have you being caught somewhere during the fires because this ridiculous ceremony doesn't work. I _will not_ have you burning, do you hear me?!"

Klaus suddenly started yelling at her, his shoulders shaking as he spoke and pointed angrily to declare himself. K jumped and took an apprehensive step back. He realized quickly he was frightening her and that hadn't been his intent. Klaus tried to calm himself, but it was difficult considering the images that had been running through his mind.

"I," Klaus began, his voice hitching for no noticeable reason other than his fraying nerves. He hesitantly met her gaze and K noticed a hint of fear in his eyes. "I can't lose you to a fire. Not again."

She suddenly understood. While she'd obviously never been in a fire, she remembered hearing that was Elijah's way of disguising her disappearance centuries ago. She calmed immediately when she realized he seemed to be reliving a nightmare that never happened. And he was. Klaus –at the thought of fires ravaging the city- began to fear K actually being caught in one. It took years for him to stop thinking about the fear on K's face and the pain she'd have gone through after Elijah told him she was in their house when it burned and he wasn't going to go through that again. It was debilitating the first time because he thought he hadn't protected her and he wasn't about to let pass the chance to make it up.

When she didn't speak after a moment or two, Klaus realized he might not have _asked_ her in the appropriate way. He calmed himself enough to remove any tone from his words.

"Please." He asked sincerely.

"Okay," she nodded slowly. "I'll stay with you."

Klaus seemed to immediately relax, as though she'd removed a weight from his shoulders. Klaus nodded his appreciation.

Meanwhile, Rebekah had found Davina and Marcel. She tried to convince him the Harvest was necessary, but his loyalty knew no bounds. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He promised he'd keep her safe and he planned to. With nothing better to do and no ability to convince him otherwise, Rebekah left to meet her siblings at the plantation.

~~~!~~~

The five of them soon found themselves standing around the freshly dug grave on the plantation property. Each was shielded beneath an umbrella while Father Kieran stood at the head of the grave. Like he'd asked, K stood beside Klaus under the protection of her own canopy.

The siblings and Hayley included went about slicing a gash in their palms, adding their blood to a single blade which Kieran promptly tossed into the grave at his feet. He declared the action was done.

The tricky part came later when they all had no choice but to wait for Marcel and Davina. They found themselves standing in the cemetery, the rain falling so thickly and heavily, it was seeping through the most resistant fabric.

Klaus had taken a perch on the nearest tomb, his siblings, Hayley, Sophie and Sabine scattered around the three girls resting on the altar and K standing between the tomb and Rebekah. They waited for what felt like an eternity before Sophie caught sight of raging flames burning stronger than the rain fell.

"Fire." She muttered.

Klaus felt the heat of the fire long before seeing it. He reacted on instinct.

"Kalli."

His voice was barely audible above the rain, even with her proximity, but she heard him nonetheless. K looked up and noticed him offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up to him. He wanted her away from the flames that licked at Marcel's heels as he carried Davina to the altar. K watched the display like the others, barely feeling Klaus snake his arm protectively around her waist to hold her close. She couldn't feel it through the thick fabric of her jacket until the fires began to lap at the base of the tomb they were standing on. Klaus's grip tightened to the point his arm was nearly wrapped around her waist entirely and he pulled her back to his chest. She felt knots form in her stomach at his stoic behavior, but didn't comment on it, not even after he forced her to take a step further back from the fire with him. They remained that way, both shielded by her umbrella because he held her so closely, while Sophie preformed the ritual.

The moment Davina said she believed, Sophie slit her throat. K winced and closed her eyes at the sight, a sentiment Hayley and Rebekah shared. Klaus noticed, but he valiantly tried to keep his eyes on the ceremony.

Almost immediately the rains stopped and the fires vanished. Klaus's grip on K loosened, but he didn't let her go entirely. Sophie continued with the Harvest, calling for the Reaping. But nothing happened. Seconds ticked by and no one rose, no one opened their eyes and no one came back to life. The four girls in white remained gone, dead to the world as though no ritual had taken place.

Sophie collapsed and began to cry at her niece's side. Marcel began to feel rage lap inside him. He glanced up to Klaus who met his eyes. Klaus could see the pain and anger Marcel held before he suddenly vanished from sight.

Klaus closed most of the already narrow distance between him and K to whisper in her ear.

"I'll see you at home."

And he disappeared, racing after Marcel to try and console his son. K remained behind with the others until it became too much to handle.


	39. Chapter 39

**Thank you guys again. I mean it, you're awesome.**

Chapter 39

Ep.12

_Katherine Pierce on her deathbed and Caroline Forbes willingly giving herself over to him. Klaus was having trouble thinking of a better day in recent years. _

_Caroline clawed at him, gripping his shirt and more than willing to shred him of it as she kissed him ferociously. Klaus couldn't wipe the smile from his lips as he kissed her back. He'd been wanting her to finally succumb, to come to her senses and realize he was worth the few moments of fun._

_As he pressed her to the tree, her shirt gone and him leaning back to remove his, Klaus caught sight of the flustered blond vampire and paused. He looked her over, taking in her parted lips, her heavy eyelids, and the look of lust shining back at him through the sea of blue and realized something quickly._

_He no longer wanted this. _

_His brows pulled together and he stared at her breathing heavily and all but begging to continue. Caroline noticed he hadn't moved in a moment and found her gaze sharpening on him._

"_What?" she asked._

"_Nothing, I just…" he paused. _

_A smile tugged on his lips and a disbelieving laugh escaped. Klaus stepped away from Caroline, still musing over something unsaid as he ran his hand down his lips to wipe away her gloss._

"_What?" Caroline repeated with an annoyed tone._

_Klaus looked at her and chuckled._

"_Not that this hasn't been wonderful darling, but I think I'm going to have to pass." He said with a simple shrug._

_Caroline's eyes immediately narrowed and her voice dropped to a low, dangerous volume._

"_What?" she growled._

_Still Klaus smiled, unable to stop because of the revelation he seemed to have had. Instead of speaking further on it, he sauntered to the nearest piece of clothing. He picked it up between his fingertips and tossed the garment to Caroline. She immediately began to pull on her shirt to shield herself while Klaus grabbed his jacket._

"_Are you kidding me?!" she nearly screamed. She was flustered again, but for another reason entirely. When she pulled her shirt on over her head, she shot him a furious glare. "Then why the hell have you been stalking me for months? Why have you been trying so hard to get me to like you? Why bother?"_

_Klaus, instead of being angry by her words, just listened while she ranted, still grinning like an idiot as he threaded his arms through his jacket._

"_Well," he sighed, adjusting his jacket briefly before looking at her. "While that was lovely, you're just not my type."_

_Her eyes shot wide and he could see the angry fire burning in them. Again, Klaus wasn't affected at all._

"_You're such an ass!"_

_Klaus chuckled and nodded._

"_I've been called a lot worse by a lot better." He replied easily. "No worries though. My lips are sealed and I'll keep my word. I won't go near Katerina."_

_And without another word, Klaus left the young vampire to herself. The sound of a furious shriek filled his ears and he knew he'd angered the cheerleader. He didn't care. All he could think of was getting home to New Orleans._

~~~!~~~

The smile on Klaus's face hadn't disappeared even after he walked onto the compound and gave Thierry back to the day walkers. Marcel was wallowing and felt even more annoyance at Klaus's obvious chipper mood. When he commented on it, Klaus simply chuckled. While he had business to attend to, Klaus was excited with the realization he'd had while visiting Mystic Falls.

When he told the day walkers they could have their fun in the Cauldron and after Marcel did his best to dampen the hybrid's mood, Klaus caught sight of Hayley on the balcony. He met her eyes as he jogged up the stairs.

"Where's Kalli?"

Hayley made a face. "How would I know? We're not exactly book-club friends."

He cocked a brow in annoyance when he reached.

"Less sarcasm if you can manage."

"Her room I guess." She shrugged, still eying Klaus like something was wrong with him. "I haven't seen her walking around today."

Without bothering to thank her, Klaus stepped around the increasingly pregnant wolf and set off towards K's room.

When he reached her door he noticed it cracked. Klaus pressed his palm against it and let it gently sway the rest of the way open. Sure enough she was in her room.

K was busy reading a book on her balcony. The balcony outside her French doors was in reality no thicker than an average sized pot. It was made for people to decorate their windows with elaborate pots and hanging plants, not for much more. That was the purpose of the balconies overhanging the main street.

The French doors were wide open letting the mild breeze flow through the room. She was leaning back in a simple wooden chair just to the left of the doors, her legs crossed and ankles propped up on the wrought iron railing. The sun was shining brightly and making her bare legs glow nearly white. K looked at peace, but she tensed when she felt the air in her room shift. K sighed as she turned the page.

"I don't know what the Mikaelsons are doing," she said in a voice thick with annoyance. Klaus eyed her curiously as he continued into her room. "I don't _care_ what they're doing. Go talk to Marcel."

"That answer seems a bit rehearsed." He said when he reached her side.

K looked up at Klaus's smiling face. She laughed breathily and turned her eyes back to her book.

"It's amazing how many of these little day walkers think I'm privy to every little thought that surges through your collective brains."

"Don't they realize you can hardly stand the lot of us?" he teased.

K laughed. She shook her head at him, but found herself agreeing. She turned to Klaus who was sitting in a chair near the round table holding her flowers. He was smiling at his joke.

"Apparently not." She replied with a light giggle. "So, what put you in such a good mood? You never smile unless you just ate a kitten or something else adorably fluffy."

He rolled his eyes at her comment, but the smirk remained.

"Well what can I say," he sighed, gradually meeting her gaze again. "Perhaps I'm simply happy to be home?"

K felt her stomach flutter. Klaus made no secret of the meaning behind his statement and smiled a bit wider at her reaction. They two stared at one another, neither speaking while the sounds of the city echoed softly around them. It was an oddly peaceful moment and made Klaus remember why he'd come to speak with her in the first place.

Despite popular belief, it was possible to have a civil conversation –borderline delightful one- with Klaus.

"Do you believe in second chances?" Klaus found himself asking, still harboring a hint of a smirk given he felt he knew the answer.

Without hesitation, K replied, "No."

Klaus's face dropped. That wasn't the answer he'd expected. He thought she would for sure, especially considering how many she seemed to give out to everyone around her. There were no limits to Kalli's immense understanding, but second chances seemed to be too much. She noticed his face fall and it brought a soft smile to her lips. K rested her head against the back of the chair.

"I think you should give as many chances needed," she said. "As long as whomever you're giving them to actually wants to redeem themselves." Klaus relaxed a bit with her answer, but didn't give any indications as to why he would have asked. "Why?"

"And me?" he asked, skipping over her question entirely. "Do you believe as Elijah does that something like me can be saved?"

K narrowed her eyes briefly, examining the man sitting a few feet from her. She didn't know where his questions were coming from, but she had no reservations telling him or his siblings what she thought.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. Klaus physically twitched. "It's almost like you'd rather have people hate you more than anything else."

Silence began to stretch between them and Klaus found himself mulling over K's words. But she could see something else, something lingering in his features.

"Since when did you care what other people think about you? What's changed?"

He took a deep breath and sighed, tapping his palm against the arm of his chair briefly before meeting her eyes.

"Marcel's men love him, respect him. They'll never treat me like that and what's worse, not only does Marcel hate me as well, but he seems to share the sentiment with my siblings and probably you too. Especially since Davina."

K groaned to herself and shook her head again. She wasn't trying to act judgingly, but Klaus had trouble seeing it as anything else for a moment. In a split second of exposing himself, he felt slighted, then anger and almost immediately began plotting his cruel retort.

"I don't hate you Niklaus." K sighed, rolling her head to look at him. Klaus's wicked thoughts immediately vanished and he was given a glimpse into what everyone was talking about when they said he was broken. "Elijah doesn't hate you because honestly, I don't think he's capable of hatred anymore. Rebekah and Marcel? I don't know. I don't know what you've done to Rebekah through the years and you have to realize what you did to Marcel. Of course he's angry."

"He's been sulking, drinking everything in sight and shirking his duties as my second."

"He lost a dear friend, Niklaus." She snapped weakly. "He's hurt. He's in mourning. How is he supposed to behave?"

"Life moves on. Most of us are a testament to that little fact. She was mortal. Mortals die. It's the way of life."

She didn't know if he meant to be callous or not, but his words were cold. They were true, but they were just so cold. It was reasons like that people didn't like him. Klaus, while clever and charming, had absolutely no tact when dealing with things he considered trivial.

"Doesn't make it easier." K said simply. "I watched forty-seven generations of Bennetts be born then die. Just because I'd seen it happen before didn't mean it was any easier the next time." He looked at her as she spoke, absorbing her words like she was singing gospel. "We expect death, cope with it when it comes, but it's never easy."

"He'll hate me forever for what I did to that girl." He said somberly.

"Forever is such a limitless void." she said gently. "He might be angry with you for a while, years even, for what you did to Davina and her boyfriend, but it won't be forever."

He chewed briefly on the inside of his cheek.

"And you?" he asked, forcing her to sharpen her gaze on him curiously. "Will you hate me for years because of what I did after you warned me not to be cruel?"

Her brows came together.

"Why do you care so much what I think?"

He chewed on his lip again.

"Truth be told, I don't want you to hate me too."

She paused for a moment before speaking. There it was, another hint of who he used to be. It was times like that she honestly had hope for him and that made her think maybe she wasn't as stupid as everyone thought for caring about him.

"It makes me sad." She said softly. "I can tell at the time you honestly thought you were in the right, but you weren't. You recognize that, don't you?" he didn't speak and her heart sank again. She sighed lightly and rolled her head again to face forward. K looked out over the scenery below. "You've spent so long perceiving everyone as enemies; you have no idea how to treat friends."

Klaus's brows twitched together and gathered in the center of his forehead. He felt K's words seep into him, forcing him to rethink everything he'd done.

"You're right." He said after a moment or two. K rolled her head lazily towards him again. "But history's taught me…"

"No," she shook her head. "No, you don't get to sit there and blame everything and everyone else. Have you ever heard the saying, _you teach others how to treat you_?" she asked without expecting an answer. "You can't expect people to suddenly devote themselves to you just because you told them to. If you want loyalty and love, you have to show compassion and respect. Fear only gets you so far. You and I have lived long enough to see Dictators overthrown all around the world because eventually people rose up against them, proving tyrannical oppression doesn't work. Besides, fear only breeds hate."

He didn't speak for a moment, but listened to her words. He honestly listened to them which was more than he could claim of nearly anyone else.

"You should write greeting cards."

K snorted a weak laugh and shook her head.

"You're an ass." She told him honestly causing Klaus to smile.

The pair mused over the comment briefly before Klaus decided to change the subject entirely. He looked around the room before back at K.

"How do you like your room?"

Her smile turned genuine as she took in her surroundings.

"It's beautiful." K smiled. "I've never had a room this nice before that, you know, I didn't have to pay for."

After a moment of silence -the pair in the room amazed they'd continued a civil conversation- the door to K's room was suddenly filled with another body. Klaus looked, K shifted in her seat and they both spotted Diego looking as though he'd seen a ghost.

"We've got a problem." He said.

Klaus sighed heavily and glanced briefly to K before standing and following after the young man. K felt her brow rise curiously at the display. The little vampire looked honestly worried. Interesting.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

K walked through the streets without a true point or purpose. Marcel had apparently gone missing as well as a decent amount of other vampires. She didn't care too much. Like she'd told Rebekah, she had no interest in whatever the main grouping of vampires were trying to do to or with each other. Their internal conflicts generally ended badly and she wasn't going to be a victim in it. Not again.

Klaus had told her there was someone, a witch, making his way through the Quarter, taking his vampires and desiccating them in some ritual. K was surprised by his willingness to offer the information and off put by it too. Witches frightened her. One might think that her time around them would mean she was more comfortable around that faction of the supernatural, but it was the opposite. K had seen them do amazing and _terrifying_ things. Unlike Klaus, she had a healthy respect and fear of what they could do.

As she sauntered down the increasingly emptying and darkening streets, K decided she could use a drink. There was a bar not too far from where she was, _Russo's_, and she decided that why not. When she walked through the door and found the place already occupied, she wondered how good the luck.

"The hell do you want?" Marcel asked with a growl. He drank his shot and slammed it back down. "Klaus send you looking for me?"

"I'm not here for him." She said, rolling her eyes at his judging words. K continued into the bar and took a seat beside Marcel one stool down. "I'm here for whiskey."

The blond behind the counter looked a little concerned while Marcel continued to harbor his annoyance. He turned to face K.

"You seriously expect me to believe he didn't tell you to come find me and you jumped at the chance?"

K cocked a brow. She turned to face Marcel with a cold expression.

"In the short time you've known me Marcel; do I strike you as the kind of person that would jump at the will of anyone? I don't care about the crap you two having going on."

"Well I don't know." He said sarcastically, adjusting himself a bit to show his growing agitation with Kalli even being in the same building as him. "From what I've heard about the two of you, it wouldn't surprise me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The air was growing tense and Cami could feel it. There was something between Marcel and K. She couldn't tell if it was animosity, jealousy or what, but there was something uncomfortable brewing she wasn't sure what to do aside from let it happen.

"I asked Rebekah about you." He said, keeping the edge to his voice. "She had some interesting things to say."

"Oh I bet she did." She said, noticing she finally had a drink. "Thanks."

She smiled to Cami as though the atmosphere didn't make it feel like K and Marcel were about to start throwing punches. K drank the shot and silently asked for another.

"So, what'd she have to say?"

"That you and Klaus have this twisted little love hate thing going on." He taunted. K gave him her attention and let her face remain blank. "That true?"

"Oh yeah." She chimed in a disarmingly chipper voice. "I love to hate him and hate that I love him."

"You're in love with _Klaus_?" Cami snapped, unable to hide her disgust when she asked the question. She drew K's gaze. "You're aware he's a psychopath, right?"

"I love how people act like I planned on feeling anything for him." K muttered under her breath as she took another drink and decided to use the bottle Marcel had near him to refill it. "I was a bit young when it happened you know."

Cami couldn't believe her ears. She put her palms on the bar and leaned a little closer. She was just aghast of what she was hearing.

"He's a monster. He's completely incapable of empathy. How can you even be _around_ someone like that?"

"How the hell did this become about me?" K asked, looking from Marcel to Cami. "I came in here for a drink, not a therapy session. And where do _you_ get off judging me?" she snapped at Marcel. "How long have you been in love with Rebekah?"

Marcel grumbled under his breath.

"That's complicated."

"Right. Cause out of all of them, she's the only one not messed up in the head." K said sarcastically.

Cami looked from one vampire to the other sitting at her bar drinking. She couldn't believe her ears. They were both in love with an Original? Really?

"How?" Cami found herself asking. Both of them looked at her. "How can you two even be around people like them?"

Marcel and K shrank away from the disgust and judging in Cami's voice. It wasn't like they could help it. Their situations were different, but eerily similar. Each of them were shown kindness and caring by their respective Original from a young age on, so it made it difficult not to have developed feelings.

Neither of them commented on their failings in the love department. People assumed they were ignorant to it. They weren't. Marcel was aware of how cruel, mean spirited and vindictive Rebekah could be, but she rarely acted like that towards him. K knew exactly how Klaus was –which was a few shades worse than his sister- but he never acted like that towards her. They weren't blind, just willfully foolish.

"Poor Marcellus," a voice chimed from behind. Marcel leapt to his feet, recognizing the voice quickly. K and Cami only stared at the man in the white suit. "You always remain beneath the shadow of your father. Climb out from beneath it, will you? So you can die like a man."

"Cami, you need to run. Now." Marcel told her sternly. He glanced over his shoulder to K. "Take her and go."

"I'd prefer they stay." Papa Tunde replied. "I like an audience."

"Marcel, who is this?" K asked, sensing the tension. She stood and moved beside her brother.

"Meet Papa Tunde." He muttered under his breath. "Take Cami, and go."

"Yeah, no." she said simply, squaring herself on the witch doctor she'd heard about through the years. His name was infamous among the witches. "How bout you take her and go?"

"Are you seriously arguing with me right now?" he growled.

"I'm older." She shot back.

"Yeah well, this is personal."

"Very." Tunde agreed. "But you can stay too, my dear. I can sense your connection to Niklaus Mikaelson as well. His blood is in both your veins. It appears I will have a soul for both my sons."

Marcel lunged for the witch. He had no intention of dying and reacted. He spun Tunde's head, the sound of bones breaking filled the room. Cami gasped, but when Marcel stepped back it became obvious his action did nothing. Tunde simply adjusted himself, looking forward again as though nothing had happened.

"You cannot defeat me." He growled. "I channel the power of an Original and soon I'll have all three. But until then."

He grabbed Marcel and began to chant. Marcel's eyes rolled into the back of his head, K screamed at Cami to run and raced for the two. Tunde finished only half his spell before K attacked, dislodging the witch doctor's grip and sending him temporarily reeling. He glared hatefully at her.

"Come on." She dared.

A wicked smile touched his lips. The pair weren't far from each other which meant K couldn't see what he pulled out of his jacket until it was plunged deeply into her stomach. Tunde had a stake with him, just in case, and didn't hesitate to use it.

"Enough of you." He told her sternly.

With the stake still deeply imbedded in her gut at a horrible angle and dangerously close to her heart, he threw her backward into some tables. K hit hard and the stake jostled. Cami came after him next, valiantly trying to help the vampires in any way. She was shortly tossed into the wall behind the bar.

Marcel shot to his feet and tried to take Tunde down, but he was easily shoved away. Tunde had sucked enough energy from the vampire it was similar to a few decades without blood making him little stronger than a human. Marcel hit the ground hard and grunted. Cami, finally smart enough to run, disappeared while Tunde was busy. She had to call someone she knew might help.

Tunde knelt down over Marcel and placed his palm to the vampire's head. K saw it and knew she had to help, even if she didn't like Marcel a great deal. K slowly pushed herself up from her spot on the floor, shoving a chair off her and trying to get to her feet.

"That the best you've got?" she dared angrily, drawing the witch doctor's attention from Marcel. She stood on shaky legs. "I've had worse."

K grabbed the hilt of the stake, ready to tear it out of her stomach when Tunde flicked his wrist. Her neck snapped and she hit the ground, falling once more into the wreckage she'd created.

Everything happened so quickly after that. Tunde was happily taking whatever life he could from Marcel, chanting all the way and ignorant of his surroundings. Klaus appeared seconds later, grabbing the witch doctor and trying his best to end him, but the power Tunde was taking from Rebekah made it nearly impossible.

K shot awake after healing from her broken neck to find Klaus being desiccated by Tunde. Rage and fear shot through her. She pushed herself up and raced for the witch doctor, slamming her shoulder into his side and sending him flying into the wall. Tunde hit hard, Klaus crumbled to the ground and K was more than willing to kill the witch.

She ran for him while Klaus struggled to recover and grabbed the man's white suit jacket, lifting him to his feet. She hissed like an animal, her face twisted into its demonic form, but Tunde wasn't impressed. Instead, he planted his palm against her forehead and started chanting again. K felt as though a vacuum was stealing everything from her. Her grip loosened and she nearly fell before Tunde grabbed her by the throat and continued to chant.

Without warning, he felt his connection to Rebekah disappear. He knew he couldn't handle the three vampires without her power and fled, tossing K into another wall just because he felt he should return the courtesy.

Klaus finally gathered himself enough to find Marcel only a foot away. He rushed for his son in fear, but was relieved he only needed blood. He demanded Cami find someone on the streets, but she refused. To Klaus's shock, the bartender bent down and let Marcel feed from her the few minutes needed for him to recover.

Eventually Marcel got to his feet. He healed Cami and helped her stand. They looked around at the destruction, but Marcel quickly noticed something missing.

"Where's K?" he asked, looking to Klaus.

Klaus's face dropped.

"What?" he asked sternly under his breath.

"She was here. Where is she?"

Klaus was in horror of the suggestion K had been involved at all in fighting Papa Tunde. They started looking around, trying to find her, but Cami caught sight of the woman's leg first.

"Oh my god." She muttered, drawing attention.

Klaus charged for the area Cami could see K. Tunde had thrown her to the left of the bar. Her body rested in the random nook no one had noticed. Her back was to them while she rested on her left side, her left arm twisted at an unnatural angle beneath her body, her right above her head. She was eerily still.

Cami and Marcel watched as Klaus stepped towards the body. They'd never seen him move so slowly, like he was dreading what he'd find. Klaus felt his eyes begin to burn with the promise of tears at the gray skin he saw. He held hope she was only drained like Marcel, but then he noticed it. A small pool of blood was growing beneath her body and the edge of something wooden peeked out from beneath her jacket. Klaus's stance shook as he stepped around her before a knee finally gave out and slammed into the ground beside K. He tenderly rolled her into his lap as he knelt beside her.

"Kalli," he said in a shaking voice.

She didn't move. Klaus's brows pulled together tightly, his spare hand hovering just above her cheek. He was afraid to touch her for a moment. To those watching, he looked lost, like he wasn't sure how to comprehend what he was seeing. And he wasn't. Too many things suddenly started coursing through him. All air had fled his lungs, his heart dropped and immeasurable ache took its place. He hadn't felt such pain since the first time he thought she'd died, but even then it seemed to pale in comparison. Now he was holding her body. Now he had the visible proof that she was gone and he couldn't fathom the hurt he felt swelling inside him.

"Sydämeni." (my heart) he whispered, blinking a tear free.

Rage began to join the sadness and soon dominated his body. Catching sight of the stake lodged in her body at an odd angle, Klaus gripped it and yanked it out of her with a sickening pop. K groaned at the pain involved. Klaus's attention suddenly sharpened on her. He adjusted the young woman in his lap enough he could cradle her closer.

"Kalli," he said again, gently guiding her head up. "Open your eyes. I need you to open your eyes sweetheart."

K slowly pried her heavy lids open and saw the one holding her. Klaus let out a relieved sigh that she was showing any sign of life. In truth, Tunde hadn't stolen as much of her life force as he did Marcel, but enough she felt like she was moving through slowly drying cement. Klaus couldn't contain his elation at her being alive. He suddenly pressed his forehead to hers; releasing a few more tears that had gathered when he closed his eyes. They remained that way for a passing moment or two before Klaus pulled away from her. He gently cradled her face.

"What is the matter with you, crazy girl?" He teased lightly causing her to roll her eyes. Klaus still held her cheek tenderly before threading his fingers through her hair. Any joking left his features and seriousness took over again. "I thought I told you I cannot lose you again."

Cami and Marcel couldn't hide their shock at Klaus's open admission, but it didn't matter. Both Klaus and K forgot there was anyone else in the room.

"Can we talk about this when I've eaten?" she asked, her voice thick and hoarse.

He smiled weakly and nodded.

"Of course."

Without bothering to ask or Klaus tell her it was alright, K immediately bit into his neck. Marcel's jaw dropped as K drank freely from Klaus and the hybrid wasn't bothered by it in the least. He seemed to welcome it.

Within seconds, K released her hold on him and began to stand. She only needed enough blood she could move. She'd get something more substantial later on.

Her stance wavered for a moment when she stood, but Klaus helped. He touched the side of his throat and noticed the small trail of blood left behind. He chuckled lightly.

"Clearly not as hungry as last time." He joked, reaching for a napkin on the bar and wiping his throat off. He was clearly referencing their time in the men's room at the grill in Mystic Falls.

"You pissed me off last time." She muttered, wiping her lips with her fingers. She looked up at a stunned Marcel and Cami. "What?" she asked, honestly unaware of what they'd been staring at.

Klaus tossed the soiled rag onto the bar and looked to K. He began to examine her, placing his fingers under her chin and tenderly moving her head from side to side to ensure she was healed. She noticed he was treating her like a child and swatted his grip away.

"I'm fine." She snapped halfheartedly. "I'm not going to keel over."

"Hm." He muttered as though he weren't convinced.

"Look," K lifted her shirt to show where the stake had been. The wound was gone. "No hole. I'm fine."

Klaus still didn't look like he thought so, but he pushed passed it.

"Now then," he said to the small congregated group. "Let's have a witch hunt, shall we?"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Outside, Marcel spoke with Cami, trying to calm her down after what happened and thanking her for the blood she willingly gave him. In the mean time, Klaus took K aside and spoke to her as well. He gently took her cheek and held it in his hand. K felt her stomach flutter again. It was an increasingly common sentiment the longer she found herself around Klaus.

"Why can't you simply stay out of trouble?" he asked quietly.

K smiled weakly and shrugged.

"What can I say? You've saved my life more than a few times this year alone. I figured I should return the favor."

He shared her smile and tenderly flexed his finger in her locks causing her scalp to tingle. He had to admit, he was happy that she'd saved him, not because it meant he was freed from Tunde's grips, but because she cared enough to try.

"How am I meant to honor my word to keep you safe, if you insist on foolishly helping others?"

"It's a character flaw."

A weak smile touched his lips. Like he had before, Klaus leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers causing their eyes to close. He breathed deeply and sighed.

"I thought I'd lost you again." He said softly.

K felt herself slipping back into the past again and this time she didn't want to let it go. It was warm, familiar and the first time she'd ever been happy. She reached up and held his hands to her. K shook her head gently, silently telling him that he hadn't.

Klaus, for once, wasn't swimming in hatred. He let his mind calm; he let the animosity and rage slowly begin to waver. He let himself be comfortable in existing which was more than he could claim for a long time. He was so used to constantly being on edge, always expecting an attack from some direction that the few moments his mind found solace with K were more welcomed than he realized. It relaxed him.

Before anyone could think better of it, or those catching glimpses of the display could fathom what they were watching, Klaus kissed K. She didn't push him off; she didn't fight him and instead reciprocated the action.

The kiss lasted seconds, nowhere near as passionate as the last time, but no less intense for either involved. When Klaus pulled back far enough to look into her eyes, K smiled warmly. He returned the sentiment and lowered his hands. He remained standing close to her when he turned to Marcel and Cami. Neither of them bothered hiding their utter shock.

"Come on. We need to rally the troops."

Marcel nodded slowly, like his brain was having trouble processing Klaus acting kindly to anyone, before he said goodbye to Cami.

The trio of vampires made their way back to the compound shortly after. K immediately went for a blood bag, needing more than what she drank from Klaus. He, on the other hand, made a valiant speech to his remaining vampires.

K stood back and listened to Klaus declare himself to his men below, telling them he was done trying to win their respect and that they needed to prove themselves to him. She thought he could have worded it better to seem like less of an ass, but he was at least giving those who didn't want to be there a chance to leave without repercussions. Apparently he was already growing as a person. Old Klaus would have slaughtered those not willing to stand by his side without question.

Thierry suddenly decided to grandstand.

"We don't owe you anything." He declared openly in the sea of vampires, staring up at the hybrid on the second floor balcony. "If staying in the Quarter means living under your rule, I'd just as soon get the hell out."

"Then what's stopping you?" K asked. A few eyes shifted to her. She walked forward and to everyone's shock, stood beside a smiling Klaus as she chewed lazily on the straw sticking out of her blood bag. She stared blankly at the vampire down below. "Bye." She sang.

Klaus smiled and even chuckled at her comment. Thierry scoffed and shook his head as he left. Along with him walked away around half a dozen, perhaps a few more, vampires from the group below. In all it was less than half.

~~~!~~~

K was getting ready for bed. She stepped out of her shower to find Klaus sitting in a chair near the open French doors with a drink in his hand. She jumped slightly, not aware someone had entered her room and silently thanked herself for putting her pajamas on in the bathroom. Klaus looked up and didn't seem happy.

"What's wrong?" she asked, lightly drying her hair with a towel as she approached.

"Papa Tunde found the Garden filled with Marcel's punished vampires." He said with irritation. "And slaughtered the lot of them."

Her eyes narrowed.

"How many were in there?"

"A dozen, perhaps more. Who knows?" he asked sarcastically. Klaus swirled the alcohol around his glass before gulping it and letting his arm fall lazily onto the chair's arm again. "He nearly killed the three of us, and now he's found even more power."

K kept advancing until she could take a seat across from him in the second chair that belonged to her small table. She laid the towel in her lap and crossed her legs as she looked at him.

"What are you going to do?"

"Haven't the foggiest." He replied in the same tone as before. Klaus slowly sank back into his thoughts again before asking something he felt was important. "Are you going to stand with me?" he asked, gradually meeting her eyes again. "I need you at my side, Kalli."

Her head tilted to the side just a bit as she looked at the man across from her. Just since she'd moved into the Mikaelson home, Klaus had given her enough signs to convince her part of him wanted to change back to the way he used to be, to reclaim whatever humanity he had before, but he slipped more than once too and reacted like the monster.

"If I stay," she said after a moment or two of silence. Klaus seemed to perk and wait to hear what she planned to say. "You can't keep doing what you've been doing." Klaus's brows twitched and he slowly began to narrow his eyes. "You can't threaten and kill and keep acting the way you've been acting."

"I'm trying to run a kingdom." He told her with a tensed jaw. "How else do you expect me to keep people in line?"

"I'm not asking you to pacify everyone." She replied sharply, aware the tone in his voice meant he was likely about to yell. "I'm talking about how you handle things. Like poisoning Davina," he growled and looked away from her. K leaned forward enough she drew his eyes again. "You can't go around killing people because you think they betrayed you. You can't be a tyrant, Niklaus."

"I've tried to placate them." He told her tersely. It was obvious he was referencing the minions. "Tried to win their respect, but they won't have it."

"You kicked in the front door and overthrew someone they care about. What did you expect to happen?" she asked as though it were obvious. He growled to himself. K sighed and shook her head. "You're better than that." He looked at her and noticed the sincerity. "I've seen you better than that."

"Some would disagree."

"So prove them wrong." She shot back. It made him smile to himself. "The best revenge is to make people love you. How much would that piss everyone else off?" she joked lightly.

Klaus chuckled at her solution.

"So, it's to be that simple, is it?" he asked with a smirk.

"It always was, you just let your temper get the better of you." She told him honestly. She could tell he didn't like to hear it, but it was true and he knew that too. "If you promise me you'll control yourself," she said, drawing his eyes again. K was beginning to grin. "I suppose I can stay."

Klaus smiled. It was real and genuine and one of the first he'd had in a while. In that, K knew she had an agreement. But she wasn't so naïve she let that be the final word.

"Promise me, Niklaus." She said. "Give me your word."

"I give you my word." He told her, and she believed him. "I'll only maim, torture, or kill those who deserve it."

K rolled her eyes and shook her head, but it was the best she could ask for. It wasn't in any of their natures to be passive. It went against what they were, but he didn't have to be cruel and that's what she wanted him to know. And she didn't want to change who he was either. Klaus was a Viking, raised in that world over a thousand years ago to a tyrant father. He'd always handle things a certain way, but he'd become unnecessarily mean. That's all she didn't like.

~~~!~~~

In the morning, Klaus and Marcel made their way to church. Literally. The two supernatural 'demons' went to an actual catholic church. When Klaus told K that's where they were heading, she couldn't hide her laugh. It made him smile and eye her curiously, but she just couldn't hold it back.

With them gone, K went about her own routine. It was strange that she could wake up and do anything she wanted to without having to check in or stalk the shadows to protect someone, but she liked it. It was… nice.

The sentiment was short lived however when she stepped out into the courtyard. K had decided to go shopping, buy a few more outfits considering her wardrobe was only meant to last a week, when she spotted it. There, in the middle of the expansive space, was Papa Tunde. He was arranged with intent within an all too familiar symbol. K didn't hesitate as she flung herself over the edge of the railing. She didn't want to bother with the steps, not after feeling the cold bite at the back of her neck.

She pushed through the day walkers surrounding the body until she was in the foreground and knelt beside the figure. He was surrounded in –what she quickly realized was- bone dust. It made the scene all the more ominous.

Diego called Klaus and told him he and Klaus needed to get back. K agreed.

The pair returned soon after the phone call, Elijah not too long after that. K had shooed the other vampires away and was standing near the body. It wasn't that she was protecting it, it was that she was smart enough to know there could be any manner of hoodoo or voodoo tricks laid that could hurt only a vampire. It wasn't as though the Originals had to worry about the same trivial things like death as everyone else.

"Well, well, well…" Klaus sighed as he stared at the man in the white suit with blood on his throat. "Isn't this a sight to warm the heart?"

No one spoke though a few rolled their eyes at his overly sarcastic comment. Elijah bravely stepped into the symbol and knelt beside the body. K felt better after noticing nothing happened. At least that meant they could move the body without having to leave it to rot.

"Back in the day," Marcel began, drawing attention while Elijah continued to poke at the body. "When the witches wanted to send you a message, they'd just kill a chicken and leave it on your doorstep."

"This is a rather large and ominous chicken." Elijah sighed. He stood and gently wiped off his hands. "Wouldn't you say?"

"Papa Tunde defeated Rebekah with ease, nearly got the three of us as well. If he was meant to be their prize fighter, why leave him for dead in our front yard?" Klaus asked with a tone of irritation.

"You think someone got lucky?" K asked. There was something in her words that made them shift to her.

"You don't?" Elijah asked.

She shook her head and squatted down. She was over Tunde's right shoulder and it gave her more than enough to see. She pointed.

"His neck's been cut." She said, pointing out the obvious yes, but she, Marcel and Klaus should have been able to notice why. When they didn't immediately speak she rolled her eyes and stood. "I watched Marcel snap his neck and he shrugged it off like it was nothing."

"Yeah, but he was channeling Rebekah then. She's immortal so he was too." Marcel replied.

"But after that he slaughters how many in the Garden?" she continued.

Klaus sighed and ran his hand down his mouth. His nerves were on end and while he didn't intent to be rude, he had little patience.

"Kalli, love, I feel like you're trying to get to a point. Hurry would you?"

She tensed her jaw and eyed him.

"This isn't an accident." She told him like it was obvious. "It can't be. He took out an Original vampire, the Original Hybrid, me and Marcel. Two Originals, a thousand year old vampire and Marcel has a few centuries under his belt too. None of us are pushovers, all very capable of taking down a single witch, but we couldn't. And now we're expected to believe someone got lucky and killed him? You kidding me?"

Her words seemed to finally be sinking into the crowd around her. They moved a little uncomfortably when someone else was soon added to the mix. Rebekah came waltzing into the courtyard with an irritated smile on her lips.

"Well, don't you all look cheery?" she asked sarcastically. "Listen to this. A girl literally exploded out of a tomb in the graveyard as Sabine was giving her tour of the dead. It was Monique Deveraeux."

"What?" Klaus growled.

"The tourists thought it was part of the show, but the witches are celebrating like its some bloody miracle."

"Well maybe it is." Marcel replied. "They think all hope is lost, but suddenly a Harvest girl's been resurrected. This is how we're going to get Davina back. Kill the witch who took her place."

"I have a theory about who one of them could be."

The new voice drew eyes to the stairwell behind them. Hayley stood only halfway down. She flung the large picture she'd created by taping together Davina's drawings.

"Celeste."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Klaus and K were in her room sharing a drink as they thought about what was happening in the world around them. The witches were mobilizing. It worried him and rightfully so. There was no telling how many of their kind he'd killed through they years, but he couldn't help it. Klaus always held a sore spot for the witches after his mother cursed him more than once. It made him bitter. K was the opposite.

"I don't like this." He grumbled in irritation. "Something's happening. They're planning something."

"You're probably right." K agreed as she poured them another drink. When she turned to take Klaus his, he was staring at her through his eyebrows. It was obvious she'd said something he didn't like. "Well I'm not going to lie to you about it." She said, handing him his drink.

K took her seat across from him. She watched him stew as she took a drink of her whiskey. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, envisioning all manner of nasty things to do to them.

"I'll kill every last one of them." He said under his breath, unaware the words left his lips.

"No, you won't." K said simply.

Klaus shot her a stare.

"They're declaring war on us, or did that little fact seem to slip your increasingly sympathetic mind?"

She cocked a brow in warning at him, but Klaus didn't seem bothered by it.

"You're not going to wipe out an entire faction of witches just because a handful hates you and your family." She told him as though it were obvious. "Take revenge against the ones attacking you. Not everyone."

"Why is it your so against violence of any kind, but just the other day you ripped out the heart of a police chief, a human?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words that made her roll her eyes at him.

"First of all, he called me a whore." She said. Klaus flinched when she spoke the word so freely. He remembered what the dearly departed Chief called her. "Secondly, don't sit there and act like you weren't about to do the same thing. And thirdly, if you go around killing every witch, it's just going to piss the others off and make them want to come after your family too. It'll never end. It'll be an ongoing war for who knows how long and it's not worth it." She replied with an edge before sighing, "Besides it's just so damn tiring."

He smiled wryly to himself.

"Ever the diplomat." He said sarcastically under his breath.

"Ass." She mumbled.

K's leg shot out to kick the man sitting across from her, but Klaus was faster. He caught the limb and held her firmly at the ankle, keeping her from doing much of anything. K glowered, but it held not power.

Klaus's cell phone suddenly began to ring. He set K's leg in his lap and reached for his cell, musing lightly that K didn't bother removing her leg, and answered it.

K listened as Cami asked Klaus to meet her at the church. She needed his help and sounded desperate. K could see Klaus flinch mildly when she said she needed him and noticed something else he was trying to hide. She narrowed her eyes as the pair spoke, Klaus telling Cami he would have to call her back at some point because he was busy.

"Problem?" she asked a bit too casually.

Klaus paused in the process of placing his phone back into his pocket. He eyed her. There was a very obvious _tone_ that made him chuckle to himself. Klaus dropped his hand back down on her ankle.

"Is that jealousy I hear?" he teased.

K said nothing for a moment. She raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip.

"A bit." She muttered into her glass before lowering it again.

Klaus seemed to enjoy that more than she would have liked.

"It isn't like that." He said, neglecting the word _anymore_ because he knew it would cause unneeded aggravation. But his smile faded quickly enough as his mind moved back to the reason behind the call. "The witches cursed her uncle, the priest. You met him."

Even though she'd heard most –if not all- of the conversation, K didn't realize Father Kieran was Cami's uncle. Her face fell.

"They hexed a priest?"

Klaus nodded.

"And if it's anything like what they did to her brother, soon the dear Father will go mad and slaughter some poor souls, then kill himself."

"Jesus. That's… wow."

K wasn't sure what to say. She'd never heard of anyone attacking a priest.

"Why?"

"Perhaps I should go ask?"

K nodded. Klaus stood and stepped towards her. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, a sincere action that wasn't lost on her.

Without another word, he left to meet Cami and find out why they witches had targeted another member of the church and her family.

~~~!~~~

K received a call from Klaus later on that day. He asked her to meet him at the church. She wasn't sure why, but she had a morbid curiosity to see what kind of curse the poor priest was under.

K walked into the church to see Klaus, Cami and the good Father standing on the altar. Kieran was in the process of running the knife along his palm again before plunging it into the water.

"What's she doing here?" Cami asked tersely.

Both K and Klaus looked at the blonde with a raised brow because of her sudden animosity, but neither answered her immediately. Instead K focused on Klaus as she approached and opted to speak with him in a language the pair knew.

"_What's going on?"_ she asked him.

"_Kieran takes vervain."_ Klaus sighed. "_I have to try and bleed it out of him before compelling the curse away."_

K scoffed a weak laugh as she joined him. She looked down at the bloody water and then to the weak priest. It was obvious he'd already bled a good amount.

"_It won't work."_

"_What makes you so certain?"_ Klaus asked, shifting to speak to the woman beside him.

They had their conversation effortlessly in another language while Cami's nerves continued to fray. She was on edge and the two talking to each other without Cami understanding them was only making it worse.

"_It just seems like a loophole they'd have thought of, doesn't it?"_

Klaus shrugged.

"_Perhaps. But that doesn't mean we can't simply try."_

"_I guess."_ She said softly.

"English!" Cami suddenly snapped. K and Klaus looked at her with a raised brow a piece, as though the outburst was entirely unexpected. "Jesus, speak English, not whatever that was."

"Finnish." Klaus said simply.

"What?"

"We were speaking Finnish." He repeated before turning briefly to K. "Though to be honest, at the rate simple vocabulary can change through the years, I think it's safe to assume ours is a nearly dead dialect."

K shrugged a single shoulder as though silently agreeing with him. It was true. All you had to do was think about how people spoke in the early twentieth century versus now. Or read Shakespeare. His works were filled with words no one used anymore, at least not nearly as frequently. So Klaus was right. Over a thousand years, there was a distinct chance that while they were speaking an existing language, many of the words could have evolved.

"Why the hell were you speaking that, of all things?" Cami asked with a creased brow.

K chuckled under her breath and shook her head. Klaus seemed to know the laugh was meant for him. He glanced to her while she turned her back briefly to Cami.

"_Really?"_ she asked before answering Cami's question in English. "It's where he's from. Isn't that kind of obvious, or is it just me?"

"_Be nice."_

K's eyes went wide. It was suddenly like she and Klaus's personalities had changed. She was suddenly being the mean, short tempered one while he, _Klaus_, was telling someone else to be nice. It felt wrong enough K shuddered.

"Fine." She mumbled under her breath causing Klaus to smile.

And so it went. Kieran would reopen the wound however little it healed and continue to bleed it. The water was soon becoming more blood than anything else and he was growing weaker.

Klaus offered the ailing man his chalice. Kieran drank it greedily in hopes it would work, but those thoughts did little to help him keep it down. After all, while K and Klaus were experts at drinking blood and honestly thinking it was one of the most delectable things in the world, Kieran was human. To him, it would be the same as any other normal human being suddenly being asked to drink a cup or two of blood. It made him gag and nearly vomit, but it was a necessity so he tolerated it.

When he managed to keep the blood down, Klaus compelled him. He tried to negate the hex Bastiana had put on him, but with a short outburst to Cami, he realized quickly it hadn't worked. Klaus grumbled to himself with irritation. He knew what he was going to have to do, or at least what he was good at, and he knew the disappointment K would show him for it.

He began to walk towards the pews with only a slight glance to K. She followed him down the few steps, eying him curiously.

"What?" she asked under her breath.

K had a feeling she wasn't going to like whatever Klaus had to say so it made her skeptical. He looked briefly to the pair standing at the head of the church who were watching them curiously. Klaus decided that perhaps English wasn't the best way to continue the conversation.

"_I need to find Bastiana. I can't compel the curse out of him."_

"And?" K asked, not bothering to hide what she was saying from those listening.

"_I'd like you to remain here and protect Cami and her uncle."_

"What?!" she demanded angrily –and loudly- before voicing her distaste for his request in Finnish. "_You have to be joking me. I'm not going to stand here and guard some little Barbie who thinks vampires are monsters, but useful monsters, while you go off and do God knows what. No. I won't do it."_

Klaus tightened his jaw. He wanted to yell like he normally would, spout that she would obey him regardless of her wishes, but he knew it would only start yet another fight and he wasn't willing to deal with it. The pair in the background however, watched enthralled by the conversation. The two of them had only ever seen Klaus's family or Marcel speak so freely to the hybrid. It was interesting to see someone else brave enough to do it.

"I don't have the time to stand here and argue." He told her sternly. "You wish to have a bit of a scrap later, fine, but for the moment I've other things to deal with. So will you please, swallow your pride and do me this favor."

She glared daggers at him and Klaus knew he'd pay for the comment later, but he had no other choice but to ask her. He didn't know where Elijah was and he wasn't entirely sure he could trust Rebekah around Cami considering they both seemed to harbor feelings for Marcel. Of the incredibly small group of people he trusted, K was the only one he'd trust to protect Cami.

K crossed her arms over her chest in irritation, still staring at him and waiting for the reason why she should care enough to do it. But Klaus didn't speak further on it. The two seemed to be having some kind of staring contest. Minutes ticked by and Klaus won. K growled and rolled her eyes before turning on her heels and moving towards Cami and Kieran with Klaus behind her.

"I'm going to be staying here and," she paused and shot another glare at Klaus. He cocked a brow and nothing more. K reluctantly looked again to the humans. She plastered a fake smile on her lips. "Protect you."

"What?" Cami asked in either panic or uncertainty. "But…" her eyes shot to Klaus. "Where are you going?"

"To find Bastiana." He answered as though it should have been obvious.

Cami's brows came together and she looked pleadingly to Klaus.

"And do what?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"Kill the bitch." K answered before Klaus could speak. Eyes shifted to the annoyed young woman with her arms crossed over her chest. "Kill the witch, kill the curse."

Klaus felt his lips twitch into a smile. No matter how the night went, at least he wasn't going to have a fight with K about what he was going to have to do.

"Well said sweetheart." He chuckled. K couldn't help but laugh lightly at the pride she heard in his voice. Klaus leaned over to her and whispered. "_Keep them safe and kill anyone who tries to take them."_

"Gladly." She replied, more excited about the possible fight then protecting anyone.

Klaus smiled and kissed her cheek gently before disappearing to find Bastiana. K's eyes gradually shifted back to the priest and Cami, each of them staring at her like she was a leaper.

"What?"

"Are the two of you…" Cami began before suddenly stopping when she didn't know which word to use. K simply raised a brow and waited expectantly for the blond to speak. "Together." She finally replied.

"No idea." She chimed a little too happily. "So, how long are we going to be here?"

"I uh," Kieran said. "I still need to clean up, start next weeks sermon and count the collections."

K nodded. Cami helped her uncle a bit, though there was no real need. He was full of hybrid blood which meant he was physically strong. It was his mental instability that was weighing him down.

~~~!~~~

Hours passed. When midnight came and went and K hadn't heard from Klaus, she was beginning to lose her patients and grow worried. He was going against witches and there was no telling what that would mean for him in the end.

K was walking in front of Kieran and Cami as they exited the church. She was on the phone with him, calling him again and again getting his voice mail.

"Damn it Niklaus, pick up your…"

Someone appeared in front of them before she could finish her sentence. An older woman with red hair, pulsing with power smiled darkly to them. K could feel her magic immediately. She ended her call to Klaus.

"Mr. Mikaelson is currently indisposed at the moment." She said in a deceptively kind sounding voice.

"Who are you?" K asked, narrowing her eyes on the woman.

"Bastiana." She answered simply.

K's eyes shot wide which only seemed amusing to the witch.

"What'd you do?!" K demanded angrily.

"I've done nothing." She chimed. "Someone completed this young woman's task for her."

K turned eerily slow to look at the shaken blond behind her. Bastiana stepped forward with no fear.

"You got what you wanted." Cami said, ignoring the murderous anger in K's eyes. "Now let my uncle…"

"Will die soon and in great anguish." Bastiana finished. "You see dear, you failed to hold up your end of the bargain and instead sided with evil like your uncle has many times before you. But take heart, his punishment with atone for his attempts to prevent the Harvest and his suffering with purify him. You would do well to head his lesson girl. To oppose us is to oppose the natural order. By choice or by force, the witches of the French Quarter will rise again."

"Spare me your sanctimonious bullshit." K snapped to the older woman. Cami and Kieran were horrified that she opened her mouth while Bastiana was little more than annoyed. "None of you are here to fight for _the order_. Each of you has some vendetta against the Mikaelsons so don't stand there and pretend that this is anything more than a revenge trip."

"You'd do well to watch your tongue, abomination." Bastiana warned darkly.

K hissed under her breath. Her eyes began to shift, her fangs growing in her mouth.

"Or what?" she dared.

A curt smirk touched Bastiana's lips briefly before disappearing just as quickly. Without warning, K began to scream. She held the sides of her head and sank to her knees. Bastiana raised a brow while K continued to scream in unseen pain. Choosing to ignore the humans, she walked by them and disappeared into the darkness. When the witch was gone, K's suffering stopped. She shot to her feet and glared hatefully to where the woman had been before turning her anger on Cami.

"What _task_?" she growled.

"They uh, they wanted me to stab Klaus." She babbled quickly. K's face twisted into confusion. There had to be more, and she was right. "With this bone knife. He said it belonged to that Tunde guy, the one you guys fought last night."

K glowered hatefully at the blond before vanishing as though she'd never been there at all.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

K appeared in the courtyard of the compound seconds after Elijah had made his loud declaration to the group of gathered vampires.

"Where is he?" she asked –demanded- when she spotted the eldest Mikaelson. It was obvious she was concerned and he knew she had right to be. If the witches had Klaus, there was no telling what they could do to him. "Tell me he's here and that _bitch_ was lying."

Elijah's eyes narrowed. He turned and stepped towards her. She didn't like the distant look in his eyes.

"Who?"

"Bastiana."

"You spoke with her?"

K nodded. Elijah sighed.

"Come." He said, motioning her for her to follow. She did as did Marcel when Elijah waved him over too.

The trio made their way to the office downstairs to talk, though why they went to another room when everyone in the compound could possibly hear them was ridiculous. Regardless it gave Elijah the privacy he felt they'd need.

When they stepped into the room, none of them had truly calmed.

"What did she say?" Elijah asked, turning to face K.

"Not much. All she really said was Niklaus was _indisposed_. But I didn't like the way she said it."

"Where'd you even come across her?" Marcel asked with annoyance.

"He had me at the church watching _your_ other girlfriend's uncle cause she hexed him." She snapped.

"Enough, the both of you." Elijah interjected, quickly feeling like a father to the arguing children. "Anything else?"

K shook her head.

"What's going on, Elijah?"

"Bastiana, with the help of Celeste and the other resurrected witches, have abducted not only Rebekah, but Niklaus as well."

"Why?"

"It appears that at some point in history, each of the witches was slighted by my family in some way and is seeking their revenge." Elijah said almost sadly.

"And if they succeed?" K pushed, taking a step closer to the Original. "Elijah, we have to get them back."

He could see a form of desperation in her eyes that both saddened him and warmed his heart at the same time. He said nothing about it, however, but smiled as warmly as he could and nodded to her.

"Alright," he said, looking from one of his brother's children to the other. "Any ideas about where they might be?"

"Some place secluded." K said. "They wouldn't want to risk either Rebekah or Klaus getting out or being overheard."

"But where?" Marcel asked rhetorically. "There's a hundred abandoned buildings in this city that haven't been touched since Katrina. That doesn't narrow it down."

K wanted to send a biting comment back to her much younger 'sibling' but it wouldn't make his statement less true. He was right. Between houses and businesses that simply couldn't afford to repair the damage done during the storm, there were far too many places abandoned to search.

Frustration swam through the small grouping of vampires. None of them knew for sure where to start, or what exactly they were looking for. It was harder than when they'd tried to find Elijah. At least they had a starting point then. They had nothing now.

K ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm going out." She snapped under her breath.

Neither man behind her said a word as she left the room to –presumably- search for the missing siblings.

~~~!~~~

K searched. She searched through any and every abandoned building she could find. She sped through the city without regard to where she was going or the humans that might see her. She simply searched.

An ache had begun to grow in her chest moments after she spoke with Bastiana. At first she was angry with the witch. Why else would a vampire foolishly try to go against one? But then the anger turned to worry and the worry soon became fear. The fear was nearly crippling.

K wasn't certain which bothered her more. She didn't know if it was the thoughts of Klaus being tortured or the guilt she felt for fearing for her own life. If they managed to kill him, she'd die next. Then again, he'd already saved himself once from dying, so who was to say he wouldn't do it again.

As the same few thoughts ran through her mind over and over again, K would catch glimpses of him in her memory. It would range from her time as a little human girl to just the night before. So many thoughts… so many memories.

K never knew if she was happy. It was an emotion that always seemed just out of reach. The life she'd been given since birth wasn't one that would lead many to happiness, but somehow she found something. The _something_ K had was an actual life. She met people. She learned things. She saw things. K watched history become made; advancements turn to antiques and gained the friendship of a lifetime in generations of witches. And even if none of that happened, even if she'd never turned and became what she was, or lived a thousand years, there was something she had as a human she found herself lucky to ever experience. Someone cared for her. Someone actually cared whether she was well or sick, if she was hurt or if she needed anything. Someone actually gave a damn about her when they didn't have to.

K found herself standing at the highest point in New Orleans, _One Shell Square_ the tallest building in the entire city. She saw everything at her feet and everyone. The building stood out in stark contrast to the city with its white walls and layers upon layers of floors leading into the sky. And still she saw nothing. She saw nothing that would give her the slightest hope to find Klaus or Rebekah.

Her eyes began to burn as she remembered the sweetness of her past.

_K slept soundly for the first time in what was easily years. She was curled beneath the thickly over stuffed blankets, a fire dying in the fireplace and the bite of a cold winter seeping in through the windows. The air in the room was still, filled with the scents of the morning and crackling wooden embers. It lulled her into the perfect feeling of security and she welcomed it entirely._

_He sat at the foot of the bed, leaning against one of the mammoth sized posts and watched. He watched as she slept so soundly and peacefully he began to feel a twinge of jealousy at it. It wasn't enough to merit action of course, but he wished he could sleep so easily. As it was, his mind was too chaotic with rumors and stories about Mikael, the Hunter of Vampires, the Destroyer, who was making his way through the United Kingdom in a quest East. He was getting closer._

_K took a deep breath and slowly rolled onto her back. He watched as she rubbed her eyes, blinking them clear of sleep before looking around and spotting him at the foot of the bed. She smiled warmly, a sentiment he returned._

"_Good morning." She told him softly._

"_Good morning sweetheart." He answered._

_But something was wrong and she could see it. The smile faded and K pushed herself up a bit to see him. Her brows came together while Klaus simply continued to chew on his bottom lip while he thought. His face was nearly blank._

"_Something's the matter."_

_He forced a brief smile._

"_Nothing to be concerned about." He lied._

_K's eyes narrowed and he could tell she didn't believe him. He could see her mind swarming with thoughts, taking in everything she was seeing and analyzing it through her brightly colored eyes. Klaus tried to look as though nothing was wrong, but she wasn't fooled. K had shared a bed with Klaus since she was sixteen - two years- and in that time had learned, observed and gleaned things he never thought she would. _

"_You're moving again, aren't you?"_

_He stopped chewing on his lip. Klaus tilted his head a bit to the side as he looked at her curiously._

"_How are you able to do that?" he asked, remarking on her ability to decipher his minute actions. "It's as though I'm little more than a book to you."_

_She smiled weakly. "I've spent enough time around you." K replied simply. "So that's what it is, isn't it? You and you're family are moving again."_

"_Yes." He nodded. Her face fell. K looked to her hands and began to pick lightly at her fingernails. "Were you under the impression you weren't coming along?"_

_K looked up and met his eyes again. They seemed to have the same conversation the passed two times the family had to move._

"_Are you certain you wish for me to come along again?"_

_She spoke so meekly it was disarming. He didn't like it and it made him narrow his eyes at her._

"_Something's wrong."_

_K shrugged her shoulder in a weak attempt to dissuade his comment. _

"_I am beginning to think myself a burden." K mumbled._

_Klaus raised a brow. While she might have acted downtrodden at certain points through her time with the Mikaelson family, K had never come out and said she felt like she was a burden. He didn't like it and she felt childish and a bit disgusting for saying it._

"_And what brought on this rather unexpected declaration?" _

"_What else am I, if not a burden?" she snapped weakly. "Your family stares at me with contempt, two of whom have already attempted to kill me, all the while you are stuck with carting me around as you would the rest of your belongings."_

_He continued to stare at her, a bit surprised with her accusations._

"_Is that what you think? That I take as much care with you as I do a piece of furniture?"_

_She shrugged again and Klaus scoffed. He was agitated and she could see it._

"_And when did you begin to care what my siblings think? Their opinion should mean nothing to you."_

"_I began to care when I became the topic of contention." She said simply. "Do you think yours and Elijah's conversations are private? Your voices echo through the halls."_

_He fidgeted slightly. During their rants, Klaus never really thought about whether or not anyone else in the household could hear them. He was simply stating –repeatedly- to his brother that Elijah knew nothing and needed to mind his own business. Apparently the one they were arguing about was more than capable of hearing everything._

"_They hate me for being human." She said, drawing his gaze._

_Klaus felt like he knew where the conversation was about to go and with a single look into K's eyes, he was certain. She would barely look at him, adding validity to his assumptions which only made him angrier._

"_I told you no." he said sternly. "And my word is final."_

"_But why can't you just-"_

"_No!" he shot back, interrupting her and quickly silencing K's weak pleas. She jumped and looked down immediately when he snapped at her. Klaus growled under his breath. He was more frustrated with himself than her. "No." he repeated kinder. _

_She wouldn't look at him and Klaus knew he'd hurt her feelings. He didn't mean to, it was just a topic he was a little more passionate about than he realized. _

_While K continued to keep her gaze down, Klaus moved up the bed until he sat beside her against the pillows. _

"_We are monsters." He said. His voice was soft and kinder than before. It relaxed her. "And I won't have you becoming one as well."_

"_Then why carry me around? Eventually you will have no choice but to compel me to forget and send me on my way."_

_At some point while she spoke, K sank against Klaus. He draped an arm around her shoulder, the pair staring off into the distance and watching the fire try to put itself out._

"_Never." He muttered._

"_Then you will watch me wither in old age and die."_

_Klaus twitched whether he meant to or not. He tightened his jaw._

"_You are still a child, still young."_

"_But I will continue to age. Soon I will be nineteen, then twenty and so on, all while you remain unchanged."_

"_Perhaps." He replied loftily. "Or perhaps not. There is no need to rush anything."_

K wasn't as convinced at the end of the conversation as Klaus seemed to be, but it didn't matter. A few months later she turned nineteen and a few months after that she died. The conversation meant nothing in the grand scheme of things since she changed without his help, but it wasn't the topic of the memory that made her think about it. It was everything else.

Klaus didn't want to turn her into a monster, an abomination like him and his siblings. It was an endearing thought, but K was wrong. In truth, that was only part of the reason behind Klaus refusing to turn her. The main factor was his inability to kill her to initiate the turn. He could have asked his siblings to do it, but it wasn't something he wanted to trust them to do properly. There was no way to guarantee they wouldn't take it too far, so Klaus knew he'd have to be the one to do it and he couldn't. He didn't want to be the one to end her life only to sit there and stare at her dead body until –hopefully- she turned.

K had been sitting on the rooftop for so long, wallowing in her lost memories, that the sun was beginning to set in the distance. It was late in the afternoon, hours after she'd left the compound and still she had nothing to go on to find him.

Her eyes continued to burn either from the altitude or the sadness she felt. Whatever the reason, it held little sway when her phone rang. K reached for it and answered it solemnly.

"Yes?" she asked without tone. She just felt lost.

"_Kalliope."_ Elijah replied. _"I need your help."_

"With what?"

"_I've found Niklaus in the basement of a sanatorium."_

Without regard to how high she was, K simply stepped off the edge of the building. The moment her boots touched ground, she raced into the distance to find Elijah. She never felt such relief.

~~~!~~~


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter43 has been replace with real chapter just in case you guys skipped it thinking I left up the Author's Note. Enjoy the double upload!**

Chapter 44

"Why am I here?" Cami asked, still staring at the hybrid in the bed.

"Because of all the people here, you're one of the few he wouldn't immediately slaughter."

"What about that Kalli girl?"

Elijah looked up to meet her eyes as he continued to pull back his sleeve. Without speaking, his gaze shifted behind her. Cami slowly turned and what she saw made her jump. K was sitting in a chair with a full glass of whiskey in her grip, staring hatefully out of the shadows like a demon. Cami hadn't even noticed her when she first walked into the room. K was sitting as still as a statue.

Remaining silent on the matter, Elijah grabbed his tools and began to slice into his brother's body. Klaus whimpered and gasped for air like it was the most he could muster. It drew Cami's eyes and she was grateful for it. The sheer anger coming from K was hard to look away from. The blond much preferred the blood.

"Besides, he speaks of you with some iota of respect." Elijah said, plunging his arm into Klaus's stomach and starting to find the hilt of the bone blade. "And while you too force him to see himself in another light, that's not the only reason I've asked you to come here." He finally found the bone that wasn't attached to Klaus and gripped the hilt firmly. With a sharp tug, Elijah ripped it out of his brother's body. "He will be weak so feed him, if you will and only from the wrist."

"Don't you guys have bags of blood in storage?" she asked, not able to hide her mild panic.

"We do, but your blood contains vervain. It will burn him and he'll drink it slower." Elijah said simply. "Perhaps you can convince him not to slaughter his baby sister."

"But…" Cami was at a bit of a loss. She wasn't sure how to respond to what she was being told. A second or two passed before she noticed K approaching from the shadows. "Why can't she feed him?"

K turned her eyes to the human. The green was suddenly dark and clouded with what Cami assumed was rage.

"Niklaus is a hybrid, half werewolf. His bite would kill her." Elijah told her. "Now then, I'm leaving." His eyes glanced briefly to K and he knew she harbored a degree of the anger Klaus would for what he'd done. K, however, was more likely to understand why he'd done it later on.

Klaus gave his brother a parting threat before he disappeared. Cami was still at a loss. Her mind was having trouble trying to understand what was happening. Unlike everyone else, she wasn't nearly as accustomed to the weird as they were. K on the other hand, slid into the bed beside Klaus without hesitation or misstep. She had her back to the blond so she could look down at the sickly man resting in the sheets.

The anger had fled her features the instant Klaus turned his heavy head towards her. K's brows pulled together sadly. She could see the amount of pain he was in and she didn't envy it. K reached forward and gently touched Klaus's clammy cheek. He seemed to relax, but only marginally. His body was still trembling with residual agony from the cursed blade.

They didn't speak and while Cami wanted nothing more than to leave, something more than simply Elijah's words made her stay behind. She not only wanted to understand more about Klaus, but she wanted to know more about the undeniably twisted world the vampires all lived in. While Klaus was charming, something else kept people around him. Something made people like his family, Marcel and K claim to love him, and she didn't know why. There had to be a reason and she wanted to know it.

"Wow, sixteen year old me would think I'm so cool right now." Cami said sarcastically.

She'd been speaking for a moment or two, but K had learned to drown out the woman's voice. Her focus was primarily on the hybrid lying in bed.

Klaus gave the blond a dead-eyed, cold stare as he was offered her wrist. He bit into it freely. K grimaced and looked away. She didn't know if it was jealousy that he was feeding from another or simply the fact it was Cami. It was likely the blond she found disgusting in the situation. Whatever the true reason, she stood and made her way towards the bar. Liquor was a welcomed thing.

"Doesn't the vervain burn?" Cami asked a second before Klaus released her arm.

"As you have yet to learn Cami, the line between what brings us pain and what sustains us is far thinner than you can imagine." He told her breathily.

"Are you talking about the vervain in my blood or your need to kill everyone that's ever loved you?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm too weak for one of your talks." He warned.

"She's your sister. How can you hate her?"

"Because," he sighed when he looked to her. "She's managed to do what no one has done in a thousand years." K was making her way towards the bed again with a few things in her hands. She paused when Klaus looked heavily to her, his blue eyes black. "She ripped my heart out."

Cami turned her eyes to K when Klaus spoke and noticed the ordinarily calm and strong vampire fidget and look away. She hesitated to meet his eyes again, but did briefly before Klaus found the emotions stifling and broke their gaze. She thanked him internally.

Without having his eyes on her or the obvious meaning behind his words aimed directly at her, K found her footing again. Setting her drink on the bedside table beneath the lamp, K slid back into the center of the bed until she sat directly beside Klaus. Her actions drew attention. In her grip she'd brought back a letter opener that had been on the desk not far from the bar and a spare crystal glass.

"Hold this." She told Cami.

The blond took the glass despite fearing what might come next. If he wasn't so weak, K might have offered Klaus to hold the glass, but as it was he was more likely to drop it and stain everything.

Cami's eyes were fixed on what K was doing and she soon realized her assumptions were right. K held her left wrist over the glass and without hesitation jammed the sharpened tip of the letter opener into it. Cami gagged when K twisted the blade and began to tense and relax her fist like someone donating blood. Klaus watched as she slowly began to fill the glass and was relishing in the thought of untainted blood.

"Wait," Cami said when nearly an inch of blood filled the glass. She wanted to pull it away, but it would do nothing more than let K's blood saturate the bedding. K looked up through her lashes. "Elijah sad feed him slowly." She glanced briefly to Klaus before bothering to lower her voice into a whisper. None of them knew why. "Isn't this going to heal him right away?"

K cocked a brow. She wanted to snap at the blond and tell her she was an idiot, but she didn't. The fact that she didn't want to be overly rude didn't help remove the agitation from her voice however.

"Vampire blood only heals humans." She said with a terse edge to her words. "In the grand scheme of things, this'll do little more than if he'd eaten a bunny."

Cami looked at the large amount of blood that was now filling the glass. With little less than a inch clearance from the top of the glass to the crimson liquid, K removed the obstruction from her wrist and let the wound heal. She set the letter opener in her lap, pressed her wrist to her lips to clean it off and took the glass from Cami to hand it off. Klaus greedily drank from the crystal.

"But… that's seems like a lot." Cami continued. She watched how eagerly Klaus drank the blood and worried it might give him just the strength he needed to leave. After all, it was a great deal more than he'd drunk from her wrist.

"We're dead." K said as though it should have been obvious. Cami looked at the young woman eying her. "It's dead blood. There's little sustenance in it, but," she sighed and looked to Klaus just as he removed the glass from his lips. "I suppose it's better than nothing."

"Infinitely." He agreed.

A weak smile touched her lips. K took the glass and reached over to set it by her drink on the bedside table along with the letter opener. Cami on the other hand, was fairly certain she felt insulted by what he'd said. He'd rather drink dead vampire blood than hers… that just seemed rude.

"And now that you have something in your gut that's not a curse blade," K openly mocked as she regained her seat with her drink. Her eyes moved to Klaus who was glowering at her. "Why exactly are you plotting to kill Rebekah? You actually seem serious this time."

"Oh, I'm a great deal more than serious." He told her sternly. Klaus pushed himself up higher on his pillows so he wasn't lying flat on his back. When he looked again to K, she felt the ice sputter through her veins from his rage and hatred. It made any taunting flee her mind immediately. "She summoned the only thing in this world I've ever feared and what drove us out of so many homes. Mikael." K flinched and Cami noticed. She didn't understand until Klaus looked to her. "My father."

"Oh." The blond mumbled.

Klaus scoffed and nodded.

"Yes, _oh_." He repeated sarcastically. When he turned again to K, he noticed her deep in thought. "You remember him, don't you sweetheart." She looked up at him with a lingering fear in her eyes. "After all, he hunted us even then, didn't he?"

K slowly nodded. "Oh I remember him." She muttered. Her mind flashed with memories Klaus had shared, things he'd let her see through his mind and her own experience with the horrifying man. "Vividly."

The air in the room had become thick. Each there had memory of Mikael, but only one had ever suffered at his hand.

As time ticked by, Cami continued to ask her pointless questions, Klaus continued to answer them and K had to take a break. Her phone had begun to ring and with a glance to the name, she knew she couldn't converse in front of Klaus. He noticed her look to him before leaving and knew who was on the other line. He didn't know why she bothered leaving the room, but that didn't stop him from spying on the conversation either.

"What?" she snapped when she answered the phone.

"_You're still angry, I see."_ Elijah sighed.

"Is it really all that surprising?"

"_I had no choice, child. If I hadn't, he would have killed Rebekah. And he may still._" He said sternly before calming slightly. _"I suppose it's too much to hope that he's calmed a bit, isn't it?"_

K sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Taking a step forward, she rested against it, her eyes darting along everything in front of her but focusing on nothing.

"What do you think?" she asked rhetorically in a heavy voice.

"_Help him, Kalliope. Help him realize Rebekah simply made a mistake."_

"How?" she snapped under her breath. "This is a _biblical_ betrayal, Elijah. It would take years for him to calm down enough he wouldn't immediately kill her, decades before he wouldn't want to torture her."

"_Be that as it may,"_ he replied in a tone that let her knew he thought the same thing. _"You can at least try."_

K growled her frustration with the situation.

"_I know my family hasn't given you much reason to trust us in the past,"_ Elijah said when K hadn't responded. _"But you know as well as I that if Niklaus kills our sister, he kills the only humanity he has left. He'll be lost, forever."_

K's gaze dropped and her brows pulled together.

"I know." She said softly.

K didn't know what else to say or what else merited being said when movement caught her eyes. She glanced to her left and noticed Cami coming closer. K immediately bit back an annoyed growl.

"I have to go Elijah."

When they said their farewells, K stood upright again and faced the blond.

"What?" she asked, not bothering to hide her irritation with not only Cami, but everything else.

Cami narrowed her eyes briefly. She wasn't ignorant to the animosity.

"I'm going to chalk that up to the stressful situation." She said.

K scoffed. "Whatever you say."

"Have I done something to piss you off?" she snapped irritated. Cami wasn't about to put up with yet another vampire being rude to her for seemingly no reason. "Cause honestly, I don't even know you."

"No, you don't." K replied in lofty sarcasm. She took a few steps closer. "But for some reason, you have no problem acting like we owe you something."

Cami was insulted and she didn't hide it.

"No, but if it wasn't for vampires,"

"What?" K interrupted. "If it wasn't for vampires, what? The Quarter wouldn't be at war? Witches wouldn't have attacked your family?"

"Well it's true, isn't it?"

"Not really." She replied in thick derision. "In case you haven't noticed, the witches of New Orleans are, for lack of a better term, bat shit crazy. They just wanted an excuse to take over and ta-dah!" K was laying the sarcasm on so thick; Cami felt like she'd choke on it, but K couldn't help it. Her frustration and anger was finally coming out. "Vampires. _Every_ faction of the supernatural blames vampires for everything. _Vampires_ are the evil ones. _Vampires_ are the real monsters. _We're _the ones that aren't natural, the abominations. No shit!" K was taking steps towards Cami forcing the blond to backpedal. She couldn't look away from the increasingly enraged woman who seemed only angrier after Cami made her appearance. "But you know what? It's _their_ fault we even exist. Witches and werewolves are what started this whole damn thing. None of us wanted this. I haven't met a vampire yet that actually _chose_ to be one, except your precious Marcel. Everyone else, me, Niklaus, all of us was turned against our will." K's voice suddenly got dangerously low. "And you know what pisses me off the most? People like you. Humans who judge us, loath us, but the second you need something, we're suddenly your best friends."

Cami stared at K wide eyed. She listened to the dark haired woman's tirade and saw the way she was acting. It scared her. It almost felt like she was watching someone lose their mind, in a way. K went off on the little human after the smallest provocation and it made Cami defensive even if she really didn't have grounds to be.

"I never said that." She said back though her words didn't harbor nearly as much conviction as K's.

K cocked a brow to the woman standing a couple inches shorter than her at that moment. She tapped the side of her head with her index finger.

"You thought it." She replied in an unnervingly calm voice.

And she had. After realizing Cami was more entwined in their world than she thought, K peeked into the bartender's mind and found out exactly how she felt about vampires.

"I don't have to stand here and take this." Cami said, trying to remain defiant and strong.

"Then leave." K shot back without hesitation.

Not bothering to say another word, K set off towards Klaus's room again, leaving Cami to contemplate what she'd gotten herself into. Elijah hadn't warned her about K. After meeting her the one time in the bar, Cami thought she might have been normal. Evidently she gave the dark haired vampire too much credit, or she brought out the anger in her.

When K made her way back into the bedroom, Klaus was already back on his feet. He was pouring himself another drink and wearing more clothing than before. K would have been happy if it didn't mean he was that much closer to possibly murdering his beloved sister.

"You need rest."

"Do I?" he chimed sarcastically. Klaus turned and eyed her. "So, what'd Elijah have to say?"

"He wants to know if I've talked you out of killing Rebekah." She said honestly. K crossed her arms over her chest. "But I know you well enough to realize that if it's possible, it'll take more than an hour."

"So," he sighed with an edge to his words. "You think you can manipulate me, hm? Get me to forget what she's done to me."

"I never said that. But, I'm not going to let you either."

"Let me." He repeated darkly. "As though you have any say over how I behave."

K narrowed her eyes on him briefly. She wanted to tie him to the bed until he calmed down, but to what point and purpose? It wouldn't work. If anything, he'd become angrier and she wasn't going to be on his list. If she was, there was a chance there'd be no saving him.

But as they stood there speaking in the room, neither realized Cami hadn't left. Instead, she was standing just outside the door in the hallway, listening.

"Enough, Niklaus." She sighed, her agitation and anger with the situation beginning to weigh her down. It was tiring. "Don't stand there and act like I'm attacking you."

"If you're not with me Kalli, the only other place is against me."

"Why? Because I don't want you to slaughter your little sister? That makes me your enemy? Really?" she dared.

"She brought Mikael here!" he suddenly bellowed. Klaus was shaking again. He couldn't understand why everyone was standing on Elijah's side. Why couldn't they see his point of view? Why couldn't they realize he had the right? "She brought him here to murder me! Rebekah deserves death!"

"This isn't the eleventh century anymore, Niklaus!" she yelled back without hesitation or fear. "This isn't the old world where you can deliver whatever justice you see fit because you were dishonored."

"This has nothing to do with _honor_." He growled as he took steps closer to her. She could see his eyes tinting pink and his jaw tighten. "She plotted my death. She brought the only thing," his voice hitched. "The _only_ thing in this world-"

He didn't have to finish the sentence for her to realize what he meant. She already knew. K's brows came together.

"I know." She said calmly. "But you can't-"

His eyes suddenly sharpened and his body went stiff. She stopped talking immediately. She waited for him to start yelling again, but when he didn't she continued speaking.

"You trusted my opinions before." She told him, removing sentiment from her words and instead replacing it with an even, but warm tone. "You trusted me to tell you the truth."

"Once." He said simply. "But a thousand years is a long time and things change."

She tried not to show that his words actually hurt, but they did and they were true. She'd told him the same thing, that a thousand years was a long, long time and everything changes.

"Not this." She said as though his words didn't bother her. "I still tell you the truth, Niklaus and I always will."

"And this truth you think I should hear?" he asked meanly. "Or perhaps you can tell me how my brother's managed to bring you to his side? After everything he's done to you and still when Elijah beckons you join him."

"Don't you dare." She hissed. "Don't you dare stand there and try to turn me against him because you've imagined some kind of alliance. I know _exactly_ what your brother's done to me, but that doesn't change the fact that I know what'll happen if you actually kill Rebekah."

"And what's that?" he dared.

"You turn into the monster everyone thinks you are." She said without pause. Klaus flinched. "And then eventually, when your hatred subsides, you'll realize you have to spend the rest of eternity knowing that you've murdered one of the people in this world who truly loves you and it will drive you insane."

There was suddenly a crack in his hardened veneer, a miniscule –almost invisible- blemish through the hatred. It was her window, her starting point to calm him down and get him to realize what he was doing was wrong.

Klaus's phone chirped. He jolted from the sudden sound and eventually tore his eyes from Kalli's to answer it. She saw the darkness suddenly spring back to life in his eyes and knew her chance was gone. The hatred was back, the malice, anger, and cruel thoughts of what he could do to Rebekah had come again and he was lost to reason.

"Well," he sighed with a vindictive tone. "It seems little sister and her _lover_ have been spotted in the city." Klaus put his phone back in his pocket and looked up in time to notice Cami walking back into the room. "Hate to say I told ya so, love, but I did."

Without speaking, Klaus stepped to the Greek bust that sat near the window. Gently touching the head with a finger, he pushed it over. The top heavy piece crumbled on the ground and from the rubble he pulled out something K never thought she'd see again.

"Oh God…" she muttered as he held the wicked spike between his hands.

"What is that?" Cami asked.

"A white oak stake." Klaus smiled evilly. His eyes shifted to K and saw the horror across her features. "Yes sweetheart, it is still very tangible. Mother dearest made sure it would never be destroyed, remember?"

"I remember," she said softly. K tore her glistening eyes from the stake and brought them to Klaus. "Watching Alaric slam that into your chest and mourning, with your _sister_ when we thought you'd died."

"I'm sure." He said through a tight jaw. He didn't want to think about Rebekah warmly and honestly had trouble doing so, especially after her betrayal.

"Niklaus," K hardened herself for what she was going to have to do. Honestly, she couldn't believe he had the super stake and it frightened her more than she thought possible. K took cautious steps forward. "I can't let you do this. I can't let you kill your own family and I will do _anything_ I have to, to stop you."

Klaus took a deep breath and sighed. He closed the rest of the distance between them and nodded as he touched her cheek tenderly.

"I know." He said. His words felt like ice and her fear tripled. He gripped her tightly and suddenly spun her until her back hit his chest. Klaus held her body firmly to his, the stake resting at his feet so he could hold her head. K struggled and tried to pry his arms from her. Klaus dipped down so his lips were inches from her ear. "You have always had a caring heart, Kalliope, even for those of us who never deserved it and I know you would fight to defend my sister from her fate."

"It's not Rebekah I'm trying to save." She told him. Tears fell down her cheeks as she blinked them free.

Klaus closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. Her unfathomable caring and loyalty… it threatened to shatter the pieces of his already broken heart. She was either too foolish or too stubborn to know when to cut her losses.

"There is no saving me, not anymore." He said honestly. "Rebekah will die today for her betrayal. And you will not interfere."

Without another word on the subject, he snapped her neck. Cami shrieked as K's body spun before landing on the ground at Klaus's feet. She was stuck in between shock and horror to what he'd done.

Klaus on the other hand, shook the disgust from his shoulders and bent down. He grabbed the stake and slipped it into his waistband before grabbing K. He cradled her gently and moved towards the bed to lie her down.

"What did you just do?!" Cami demanded when she finally found her voice.

"I'm keeping her safe." He said under his breath.

Klaus adjusted her a bit more to ensure she was comfortable, though considering he'd killed her it seemed a moot point.

"By breaking her neck?"

Klaus turned to the blond with black eyes. He didn't answer her before disappearing.

He was keeping K safe and he knew it. If she got involved with his fight to kill Rebekah, there was no way to guarantee she wouldn't be hurt or even killed. Like in the gym in Mystic Falls, the only way to make sure she wouldn't interfere was to break her neck. His anger wasn't with her and while he could have easily shackled her or tied her with vervain laced ropes like he would have with any other vampire that tried to get in the way of his plans, Klaus didn't want to truly hurt K.

The broken neck would heal quickly, but he planned to be gone or finished with his task by the time she found him again.

~~~!~~~

**I've gone a bit further in the story, but not enough to upload daily again, especially since there aren't that many episodes out so sorry for that, but I do have a little. Hope you guys like it so far!**


	45. Chapter 45

**tee-hee. I couldn't update until I heard back from my two favorite reviewers! **

**Thank you to the people who've recently added/favorited this story. I truly appreciate it and I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 45

K suddenly woke. Her back arched and she took in a sharp breath when her life was given back to her. It took mere milliseconds for her to remember. K looked around to see what had happened only to find Cami in the room with her and no Klaus.

"Where is he?" she snapped, leaping from the bed and looking for any sign of Klaus when she noticed the sun wasn't shining through the window. Her back went tight. K spun on her heel and faced the blond. "Where is he?!" she demanded.

"I don't know." She said softly. The fear billowing off her was nauseating. "He took me to a theater and started telling me this _horrible_ story about Mikael and…" she paused and felt herself shake her head before meeting K's eyes again. "He's going to kill her, isn't he?"

"He's going to try, yes." K agreed.

"You have to stop him. You guys have this… weird relationship thing, so you have to stop him."

K raised a brow and began to glare at Cami. It sounded like the blond was commanding the vampire, telling her what she should do regardless of what K wanted to. There was just a tone to her words, an air surrounding Cami that rubbed K the wrong way. She already planned to stop Klaus, but where did Cami get off demanding it of her?

"And you suddenly care, why?" K dared. Cami flinched. "Where the hell do you get off telling me what I have to do?"

"He can't kill his sister. There's no coming back from that."

"Oh I know." K replied sarcastically. "But I'm wondering why you suddenly give a shit."

"Well why shouldn't I?" she shot back.

Cami didn't like that K was always on edge around her, that she was always on the defensive and accusatory. It made Cami defensive too.

"Because this isn't your problem." K said as though it were obvious.

"I know what it feels like to lose a sibling." Cami said, taking an angry step forward as though she could somehow instill the fear and respect she felt she deserved. "And if he loses Rebekah _and_ is the cause of it, it'll break whatever bit of humanity he has left. He's too angry. He doesn't realize what it feels like to lose your family."

"Really?" she growled through her teeth. K stood a bit taller and gladly made herself as intimidating as possible and Cami noticed. The blond couldn't fight the frightening fire blazing in K's green eyes. "The three of them have lost over half their family. There were seven Mikaelson children in the beginning. He knows the loss of siblings, but it doesn't matter. He doesn't care and _that's_ the problem." K calmed her voice slightly, but her body was raked with fearful anxiety. "Niklaus has never truly felt accepted by his family, ever. He's always thought of himself as the outsider, the bastard son and the disposable one."

"Why?" she asked weakly.

"Because he is." K answered simply. "Klaus isn't Mikael's son and he made sure it was never forgotten. Siblings fight, yes, and Klaus would lose his temper, yes, but Rebekah called Mikael. _Mikael_. He beat and haunted Klaus from the time he was a toddler until last year when Klaus plunged a stake into his heart. He was evil, twisted and cruel. He was the most sadistic man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting and all of his rage, his anger and hatred was taken out on that child. And Rebekah summoned him."

"You make it sound like you're on his side."

"I'm not on anyone's side, but you don't know _anything_ about him or his family so you don't get to stand there and bark orders like you know what's going on." She said darkly. "So why don't you go back to slinging drinks, hm?"

Without saying another word, K stepped around a stunned Cami and towards the door. She was reaching into her back pocket for her phone before disappearing entirely. She dialed the only number that mattered at the moment and pressed the phone to her ear as she waited.

"_Yes?"_ Rebekah whispered.

"Klaus has Alaric's stake. He knows you're in town. You need to run." K said quickly.

"_It's too late."_ She replied sadly. K immediately froze in stride. "_We're in the cemetery. There's some kind of barrier spell keeping us in. He's going to kill me."_

"I'm on my way." K said, hanging up before Rebekah could tell her no.

K didn't need to be told which cemetery. Out of the many in New Orleans, there was only one that they always seemed to find their way to. Without waiting, she leapt over the railing on the balcony and raced for the hallowed grounds of the _Lafayette Cemetery No. 1_. Hopefully there wouldn't be more supernatural bodies added to any plots before she got there.

~~~!~~~

K could hear Klaus yelling angrily through the streets. She could hear him saying what he planned to do to Rebekah, the manners of torture he planned to deploy once he got his hands on her and how long he might draw it out. Some of the things he said made K's skin crawl.

When the cemetery was in sight, she didn't bother pausing as she ran through the gates and towards the sound of the screaming. She slid into view directly between Klaus and Elijah, her eyes only set to one.

"You seem surprised to see me." She said, noticing Klaus's slack jaw and wide eyes a second before they disappeared from his features.

"Standing alongside Elijah, perhaps." He said, removing any tone from his words and sure to keep them as blank as his stare. "Why are you here?"

"I told you I wouldn't let you do this, Niklaus. I told you I wasn't going stand by and do nothing while you try to kill your sister."

"Well," he sighed angrily. It was obvious to K that whatever part of Klaus she might have been able to bring out, the good in him that might have been convinced what he was doing was wrong, was locked away deeply inside his hatred. "You're welcome to try."

And so it went.

K had taken it upon herself to stay with Rebekah, trying to keep the Viking woman from doing anything stupid, or Klaus from making it directly to her while Elijah contended with her brother. It went like that for hours. They danced through the graves, headstones and crypts trying to stay one, two, three steps ahead of Klaus, but it was difficult. The cemetery wasn't all that large and when they were each a creature that could run a mile in seconds, there was even less space.

The sun had risen and the scent of morning dew was finally gone. Rebekah was talking to Marcel while K watched Elijah and Klaus _talk_ a few yards away. The air was still tense with hatred. K marveled at how angry Klaus must have been. She was fairly certain almost anyone else would have been tired after hours of feeling that emotion course through them.

When Rebekah hung up with Marcel, she joined K at the mouth of the mausoleum. K had taken to leaning against the crumbling threshold, a foot propped flatly against the surface and her arms crossed over her chest as she watched and listened. She glanced briefly to Rebekah before training her eyes outwards again.

They stood in silence for a moment before Rebekah spoke.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I did it?" she asked.

K shrugged a single shoulder in an attempt to seem more indifferent than she felt.

"I'm sure you had your reasons." She said under her breath.

There was a hint of judging that wasn't lost on Rebekah. The blond took her spot against the opposite side of the doorway and squared herself against K. The dark haired woman slowly turned her attention to the Viking, staring blankly back.

"You have no idea the kind of man he's become through the years." She said simply. "His heart's darker, warped with cruelty and hatred."

"Perhaps." She gradually turned her head back to face the raging argument. "I just don't know what could have happened to make you want to call Mikael. If even half the stories I've heard about him were true…" she paused and shook her head sadly. "I don't know."

"I'm not going to justify myself to you." Rebekah snapped coldly. She couldn't help it. She already felt badly about what she'd done, she didn't need K's supposed judgment to make it worse.

Again K simply shrugged. She couldn't help but pity every single one of them.

Rebekah, on the other hand, had enough. She stepped out of the chamber without a glance to K. The younger vampire cocked a brow at the odd behavior, but followed regardless.

"Enough." Rebekah said when she came to her arguing brothers. She drew their eyes quickly. Whatever I have done wrong, my guilt is _nothing_ compared to yours. You want revenge? Fine. But before you have it, I would look you in the eye and tell you why it was your cruelty and your spite that led us to this."

Klaus's jaw tightened to the point it looked painful.

"Well go on then." He told her derisively. "Speak your piece and when you're finished, I'll grant you the punishment you deserve. Even if I have to go through Elijah to do so."

His threat was very real and they could tell.

"And me." K added, standing in front of Rebekah, symbolically telling Klaus he truly would have to go through her. Klaus's jaw flexed again.

"Fine." He growled, though he seemed less convinced, but angered further by K's readiness to involve herself. Klaus glanced around and spotted the perfect platform. A crypt loomed in the air like a small tower amongst many. He leapt atop it and quickly took a seat like any judge would while K, Elijah and Rebekah looked up at him. "Then let it begin, the trial of Rebekah Mikaelson!"

"Oh good, his ego's in check." The blond sighed sarcastically.

"Just," Elijah interjected as though it would help stop insults being slung. "Speak your truth. I'll make sure he behaves."

"Hm." Was all K said.

Elijah took his seat on one of the tombs, Rebekah stood and K once again took her spot leaning against something nearby. She felt more comfortable that way, like it would help her fend off an attack though it didn't make her any slower if she was sitting.

"You stand accused," Klaus continued as though the others' words meant nothing. In many ways they didn't. "Of betraying your own blood. How do you plead?"

"I plead you to shut up and listen." She shot back without fear. I made Elijah and K smile a bit to themselves. Ever the squabbling siblings.

"You summoned our father. You brought him to our home. What _possible_ defense could you have?"

"I knew he was the only thing you feared, and I wanted you to run."

"Because you hated me."

"Because you were hateful." She snapped. "Because you denied me the freedom to love."

"Oh, that's your excuse is it?" he mocked. "You call Mikael the destroyer, the hunter of vampires, because I detained you from pursing some dull suitors?"

"You were cruel and controlling and manipulative."

"I was trying to protect you!" he declared. Elijah and K kept their faces blank, but Rebekah couldn't help the curious head tilt Klaus's words brought out. "From imbeciles and leeches, not to mention you're own poor judgment."

"And what about the one you loved enough to call friend?" she dared without fear. "Why did you forbid me to love Marcel?"

Klaus's face twisted into ugly rage. He shot up from his seat.

"Do not mention his name." he spat venomously as he pointed an angry finger at his sister.

Rebekah found herself shaking her head in mild disbelief.

"What has happened to you?" she asked softly. "I remember the sweet boy who made me laugh, who gave me gifts, who loved art, music. I wanted to be just like you." She said with a sad caring that would break anyone's heart, until her voice turned stern. "How have you fallen so far?"

Klaus began to shift his weight from one foot to another. He was uncomfortable and that was a good sign. It was an emotion other than hate.

"You say you despise Rebekah," Elijah said as he stood. He put his hands in his pockets and turned to face his brother still standing on high. "And yet no one has stood by your side for so long, not even myself. Perhaps it is you that's forgotten. I remember the day father caught you whittling chess pieces with his hunting knife," he continued. Klaus's eyes lost all focus as his mind slipped back into memory. K noticed and watched as the pain took over and it broke her heart. "He beat you for so long and so mercilessly, I wasn't sure you'd survive. Rebekah was the one who stopped him when I could not."

"So," Klaus tried to keep his jaw as tight as possible when he spoke, but it was clear Elijah's story was beginning back painful thoughts. "You would paint her as a loyal sister, when it was her lust for Marcel that made her betray me. Perhaps that was why you did it," he dared shakily. "For love. Perhaps I would temper my rage if Rebekah would admit she was a victim of her own idiocy," and the anger began to surge through his words again. "That her great love Marcel used her to oust this family and to take _my _city."

"Marcel did not manipulate me." Rebekah told him calmly.

"You defend him," Klaus said sarcastically. He slowly regained his seat. "But you can't help but wonder if I'm right."

"We loved each other." Rebekah replied sternly though her eyes began to tear. "It was your refusal to respect that that led to your ruin."

"Then why didn't he chase after you when you fled New Orleans? Oh that's right, he was here, stealing what I built."

"Do you want me to renounce Marcel?" she asked angrily. The famous Mikaelson tempers were beginning to outweigh their good judgment and both Elijah and K knew something bad was going to happen soon. "Beg for your forgiveness? I won't. Marcel is not at fault. _I_ called Mikael."

"Rebekah you must-"

"I was the one who brought him to New Orleans because of your wickedness!" she continued, ignoring Elijah's attempts to keep the situation calm. "I wanted love and happiness and you denied me the chance to have either. Yes, I hated and I was afraid of our father, but he was a lesser evil than you, my _bastard_ brother who loomed over me threatening me as you are now. I wanted rid of you and given the choice, I would do it again."

Rage -unfathomable and incalculable- pulsed through Klaus's body. It felt like fire threatening to burn him alive if he didn't act on it. K and Elijah knew the exact moment Rebekah sealed her fate. She called Klaus the one thing he always hated.

Everything happened in seconds. Klaus roared his anger and launched himself off his perch. He had Rebekah around the throat in seconds, the white oak stake raised and ready to find its home within his sister's chest when he was suddenly hit. The force took him from his feet seconds before he slammed into a concrete surface. Rebekah wasn't in his grasp any longer. They rolled, his grip on everything loosened and when he stood again, he saw the one who'd hit him. Kalli was pushing herself to her feet, the oak stake in her grasp. Klaus couldn't hide his surprise that she'd acted.

"So, this is what it's become. You plan to kill me with that, child?" Klaus dared as K stood with the stake and squared herself on him. "You're aware you'll die too."

K's brows pulled together. She didn't bother trying to look braver or stronger than she felt. She let the sadness touch her features. She let Klaus see the pity she felt for him.

"Do you honestly think I'd do that?" she asked softly. "Do you _truly_ think I would kill you?"

"It depends on your level of self-preservation I suppose." He spat angrily.

A desperate gasp left her lips and she shook her head.

"Whether I'd die too or not doesn't matter, Niklaus. I'm not here to fight you."

"Well why not?" he taunted. "One could argue you'd have as much reason as anyone else to want me dead. After all, if I hadn't purchased you in the first place, you wouldn't have become a food source to a vampire. You wouldn't have been a servant to a family of monsters. Finn never would've…" Klaus paused. He bit the inside of his cheek and broke eye contact with her for a moment or two. He couldn't even bring himself to repeat what his other brother had done. Clearing his throat he looked back up at her. "Rebekah nearly killed you as well," he said pointing to the blond and then to their brother. "Elijah succeeded. You spent the last six months of your human life in fear, anguish and locked away in a cell like a prisoner. You hated me so much; you even stood against me in Mystic Falls."

Her eyes turned pink and began to glass over. Klaus blinked a few of his consistently gathering tears free. The air grew silent until K said something Klaus hadn't expected.

"And?"

His shock was evident and it was his temporary befuddlement that gave Elijah the chance to move.

"Leave with Rebekah." He said, taking steps forward and moving between K and Klaus. Klaus's eyes immediately turned cold. "I'd like to have words with my brother." He glanced briefly to K. "Stake, please."

She narrowed her eyes on him. While part of her didn't immediately think he'd kill Klaus, she didn't really want either to have the chance. So, without a word, she launched it into the cemetery, out of sight and out of reach.

With Rebekah, the two left the brothers to "talk".


	46. Chapter 46

**Hi guys! Okay, here's another. I'm trying to stretch it out considering the newest episode isn't supposed to air for a few weeks, but hey, we all know that's a lie. I'll probably upload everything in the next few days and then we're stuck waiting. haha. I hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 46

Neither knew how long the lingered within the crypt, but it didn't take long for them to hear Elijah scream in pain. Rebekah looked like she felt it and winced as a result. Pushing herself up, she dusted off her clothing and made her way towards the doorway. K decided she might as well go too. Rebekah stopped her.

"No," she said simply. "This is between my brother and me. My family's already dragged you into more squabbles than they should have."

"And if he kills you?"

Rebekah shrugged a single shoulder and tried to force as brave a smile as she could.

"Eternity just seems a bit long anyhow, doesn't it?"

K's gaze turned sad.

"No worries. Takes more than a tantrum to kill a Mikaelson."

K smiled as weakly as Rebekah. Without another word, the blond left their little hideaway to talk with her elder brother.

~~~!~~~

When everything had gone deathly silent, K emerged to find Klaus sitting on a tomb. Elijah was convulsing in painful silence not too far away and Rebekah was 'sleeping' not too far from where the initial fight had begun. With a single look K could tell she wasn't dead despite the obvious stake hole in her shirt. So she set herself to find Klaus, the one who started it all and still held firm to his claims of innocence.

He didn't bother looking up when he heard her steps near, only continued to pick at the white oak stake caked with his sisters drying blood.

"Why are you still here?" he asked when her steps ceased their advance.

"Is this what your kingdom has been reduced to?" she asked, ignoring his question entirely. "The bodies of your siblings, your _blood_ lying at your feet."

"Do not lecture me on things you know _nothing_ about." He hissed as he looked at her through his lashes.

It would have been sinister if he didn't look so defeated.

"I know more than you give me credit for, Niklaus." She said, forcing him to raise his head the rest of the way to see her clearly.

"Leave me, child, and don't come back until you find me in better spirits."

"Child." She sighed the word sarcastically. K shook her head briefly at it before speaking again. "I am nearly a thousand years old. The only people in this world who can claim to be my elders are the three beings in this graveyard and none of you seem willing to let it go. I am not a child anymore, Niklaus, far from it, so give me that courtesy at least."

"I am not in the mood for one of our fights, Kalli." He told her sternly. "Now leave before I decide that you too deserve my wrath."

"For what?" she challenged.

"For standing against me on more than one account." He snapped back, pushing himself up to his feet. "Or perhaps because you interfered in matters you have no right to get involved with. Take your pick because no matter the reason, I'm sure I can justify something."

"Threatening _me_ now Niklaus?" she wasn't going to back down, not when she felt she had valid points to give. "It's not enough you have to nearly kill your own family, but now you're coming after the only other person that's ever stood at your side? Well fine," she snapped, throwing her arms out as though welcoming whatever he might do. "Then have at it."

Klaus seemed surprised she was daring him, taunting him into killing her. He chewed on the inside of his cheek again. On one hand, he truly didn't want to kill her. On the other, his pride wanted to punish the one so openly taunting him into a fight. It was like she was daring him, challenging his manhood in a way and telling him he was unworthy if he didn't. He was conflicted to say the least. It made him move uncomfortably and his agitation grow to the point he couldn't keep it contained. Clear headed, he never would have reacted, but his nerves were so frayed he couldn't stop.

Klaus raced forward. He gripped K around the neck before slamming her into the side of a family crypt. He pressed his body to hers to ensure she was pinned and with his spare hand pushed the tip of the stake against her chest. He expected to see fear staring back at him, but there was nothing. Defiant to the end.

"I could kill you." He said through his teeth. The malice wasn't aimed at her, but it was evident in his words nonetheless.

"Then do it." She responded. Klaus flinched. "If you really think the pain I caused you somehow outweighs what you've done to me, then do it, kill me."

A tense moment passed and then another and another before Klaus eventually stepped away from her. He let go of K entirely, even dropping the arm that held the stake. She relaxed too; honestly glad he hadn't decided to kill her despite the brave taunts for him to do so. K's brow rose before she realized it happened and Klaus took immediate offense.

"You think I'm too weak, do you?" he asked, jumping to his own conclusions without provocation. K was confused and didn't hide it. His nerves were destroyed and with the constant mocking and jeers from the ones he loved, Klaus was on the manic defensive. His rants and tirades had no true purpose only that he couldn't stop himself from them. "Well I don't need your pity!" he yelled, pointing the stake angrily at her like it would instill his point. "Least of all from someone such as you."

K was suddenly very interested in the rant.

"Someone like me?" she dared. "And what am I, hm?"

"You're nothing more than a simpering little girl who's affections could be won by any man willing to flash you a smile." He said meanly.

K reared back and swung. Her hand made violent contact with Klaus's jaw forcing his head to the side. The pain of it wasn't lost on either party, but no one moved as the echo of the thunderous boom faded in the background.

His cheek was on fire, his jaw throbbed as it healed the fracture her hit had caused and he was so taken aback by it, Klaus was forced to rethink what he'd said. It was as though K's strike had settled the jumbled thoughts rattling through his mind. Gradually, and with wide eyes, Klaus shifted his gaze back to the now furious K.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that." She spat venomously. "You don't get to stand there and shoot insults at me. I've seen you kill other men for less, so don't think that because of our history, you have some right to."

He didn't speak, still too stunned by what she'd done. K had never truly laid a hand on him before despite their odd little feeding trysts. This time she'd struck him. K had actually hit him and didn't hold back either. Klaus suspected she used her full strength for it, or at least as much as she could without taking him from his feet.

K sighed again and her shoulders slumped. The anger left her features and was replaced quickly by sadness again. She knew he was being intentionally mean and considering the undeniably emotional night thus far, she knew none of them could really help it.

"I don't know what to do with you anymore, Niklaus. I really don't."

He stayed silent. Klaus was going to let her tell him she was abandoning him. He was going to let her tell him he'd finally pushed her away like he had with everyone else so he could blame her for it later. For some sick reason, he had to let them say it so he could play the victim. Worse yet, he always realized he was doing it, but never stopped it.

She seemed to know what he wanted and while part of her wanted to give in and say she'd leave to never return, she couldn't. She knew she never would. Some part of her, some twisted little part knew there was no point. Eventually, she'd find herself back and there was no point in fighting it.

K had known him too long and too well to be fooled or truly bothered by his outbursts. It was the same as a child throwing a tantrum because they didn't get their way. They lashed out. In the end it meant nothing and you had to show the child they couldn't sway you. After all, Klaus was used to getting his way with people whether by threatening or… well, it was only ever threatening. And she wasn't going to give in to it. She had to be the stronger will in the scenario. She had to show him he couldn't simply bully people around. Elijah knew that and while he had a harder time trying to keep his resolve and not give Klaus everything he wanted, K was more than capable. She was just as stubborn as Klaus.

K looked at the man standing across from her and realized her mind was no clearer than before when it came to him. Klaus's life was too hectic, his own mind too damaged and his heart too broken for her to get an appropriate read on him. All she knew was time helped. Perhaps in time he'd be better. Maybe he wouldn't. Either way it would give her the answers she needed.

"I'm going home." She finally said after a few moments of silence.

Klaus responded with a simple nod and watched as she walked out of the cemetery as though nothing had happened.

~~!~~

K sat on her bed, combing out her hair and rethinking what had transpired in the cemetery when there was a light knocking on her door. She glanced up to find Rebekah standing there. Her brows pulled together and she stood as Rebekah stepped into the room.

"I figured you'd come back here." She said with a weak smile.

"How are you feeling?" K asked, her gaze darting to Rebekah's stomach briefly before meeting her eyes again. "I don't imagine a stab from that stake felt good."

"No, not really." She smiled softly. "I've come to say goodbye."

K's head tilted slightly to the side.

"You're leaving New Orleans."

Rebekah nodded.

"Nik's given me the chance to be free, so I'm taking it. I'm just going about collecting my things and saying goodbyes."

K looked sadly to the blond she'd hesitantly called friend.

"And you're never coming back."

"Not likely, no. You know Nik. He can hold a grudge with the best of them."

"Well…" K sighed. Neither woman knew what to do. They weren't really comfortable with that type of situation in the first place, let alone with who they were speaking to. It seemed odd. "Keep in touch."

It was a stupid thing to say, but K felt the need to say it regardless. If anything, Rebekah was a fun hunting partner.

"I will." She agreed to K's surprise. Rebekah felt the same as the younger vampire. She didn't have many people she could claim as friends, so any were welcomed. "Are you planning to stay here, with Nik?"

"I don't know." She muttered, surprised by the sudden change in topic. While she didn't plan to immediately leave, it didn't mean she'd stay indefinitely. "Why?"

"Don't leave him."

K's confusion and shock deepened. Not too long ago Rebekah was trying to get K to run, telling her Klaus would never be a good man, that he wasn't worth the effort and lost forever. A sane person would be a little wary and Rebekah seemed to notice her apprehension.

"Huh?" was the most coherent thing K could manage.

Rebekah expected the reaction.

"He's broken." She said. "But broken means he can be fixed. I think you and Elijah might be able to do it, but you can't leave him. At least not yet."

K felt herself scratching her head. She never realized it was an actual thing people did when they were having trouble comprehending a situation until she was doing it.

"I'm having some trouble here, but weren't you the one who called me stupid and naïve for even _coming_ to New Orleans?"

"Things change."

"Clearly." K agreed.

"Elijah thinks Niklaus can still find happiness and maybe he can, I don't know, but I know the best chances for it would be with the help of the both of you." She said before an endearing smile crossed her lips. "You two seem the right level of stubbornness to accomplish nearly anything."

"Thanks?" K teased lightly.

The air grew thick again, but K had grown accustomed to it. She felt bad for Rebekah and before she could think better of it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the blond. Rebekah was just as stunned –never hugging someone outside her family- but eventually returned the affection.

"I'll see you again." K said, squeezing Rebekah one final time before they parted.

"I'm sure of it. After all, we have eternity, don't we?"

"Jesus. Don't remind me." K joked.

Rebekah shared a weak laugh and with a nod, turned to leave. She made it to the door before hesitating again.

"Oh, and I have one parting favor to ask you."

K didn't speak, only waited for her to continue.

"Watch out for Hayley, will you?" she asked. K immediately flinched which made Rebekah smile softly. "I know you don't like the thought of Nik having a baby with someone, but that little girl needs someone even remotely sane waiting for her when she's born. If anything, please just keep an eye on my niece for me."

There was something so sweet and kind in the way Rebekah asked Kalli to watch over her niece. It made K smile and she found herself agreeing before she could think better of it.

"Goodbye, Kalli."

"See you later, Rebekah."

And with that she was gone.

K returned to her bed and went back to her aimless thinking, suddenly having such much more information to sift through than before.

She began to feel tired after a while and after showering and changing into something to wear for bed, K was ready to sleep. When she stepped out of the bathroom however, she was greeted by yet another Mikaelson sibling, but not one she'd expected to see again so soon.

"Why were you looming in my room while I was in the shower?" she asked as she took a seat on her bed once more.

Klaus said nothing for a moment as he stared out the window. He was still thinking about what he and Rebekah had said to each other in the graveyard. He couldn't help but replay her assessment that he and his family were truly cursed, always and forever. The words rang truer than almost anything he'd ever heard before.

He came to K with something very specific to say. He had thoughts forming, plans and plots, things he wanted and needed to do. K would complicate them. Whether she ever meant to or not, K was a complication to nearly everything he did. She was a constant side thought, always lingering within his periphery and he needed to be blank. He needed to be to himself and she never seemed to allow it.

"I am not redeemable." He suddenly said. Klaus turned to face her. "I am not worth saving. I will never be a man you want, or deserve, Kalli." He told her heavily, refusing to meet her eyes for more than a few words before looking away again. Her brows had long since moved to the center of her forehead as she listened to him speak without emotion. "You're welcome to share my roof for as long as you like. You'll always have a home here, but that's where my kindness ends. You will not be given any special treatment, or shown further affections by me."

His words were cold and emotionless. He was like a robot, repeating something it had been programmed to say and while anyone else might have simply taken his words for what they were, K wasn't that person.

He turned to leave and was met with a firm and assertive, "Bullshit."

Klaus paused, his hand nearly reaching the doorknob when K spoke. He turned slowly.

"Beg pardon?" he asked, uncertain if he truly heard her.

"I said bullshit." She replied as easily as before.

"Where in that statement was I in anyway unclear?"

K pushed herself up and off her bed. She took steps towards him and crossed her arms over her chest when she stopped.

"We've known each other almost our entire lives." She said simply. It caused coldness to sputter through Klaus's veins. It was a strange statement, but one he was amazed to realize was true. "But out of all of that we've only spent less than a decade together. I get you're not the same guy you used to be, I'm not the same person either, but don't stand there and act like none of it ever happened."

"I don't know what you expected to happen," he began. While his voice wasn't mean or cruel, it was devoid of anything else too. It was unnerving. "But-"

"I'm not here to try and get you back." She said, sensing that was what he planned to say. "But do me the courtesy of not treating me like some obsessed little girl you met recently that you're trying to get rid of, okay?"

Her statement made Klaus smile internally, which he hated. He'd gone to her room to explain things to her, to tell her he couldn't give her what she seemed to want from him, even if it was something as simple as his humanity, and tried to put distance between them. But that didn't seem to be acceptable to K. In truth, she was acting as though she expected it. And she did. It was a bit obvious in fact.

"I am, however, staying because I like my room, its rent free and I know you need someone to watch out for you when you're too stupid to turn back."

Klaus remained where he was in her doorway, thinking about what she'd said to the point his head hurt. He had too many things to deal with, thoughts to organize and problems to solve so he couldn't deal with K's random statements. Without speaking, he turned and left, closing her door behind him.

K rolled her eyes at him. She could tell he was trying to isolate himself and she was more than willing to let him. Honestly she was looking forward to some kind of chance to clear her own head. In a storybook world, when K got her memories back and found Klaus again, they'd embrace, tell each other they loved one another and live happily ever after. But their life wasn't a fairy tale –despite what they were- and their lives were complicated.

In the cemetery, K had been given a clear sign of how deep seated Klaus's problems really were and it frightened her how erratic he could get. While she wasn't going to fawn over him, hover and try to make him all better, she wasn't going to leave either.

In a way, Kalli and Klaus were like puzzle pieces. At one point, when they were still new, they fit perfectly, conforming to one another so tightly it was obvious they belonged together. But when she disappeared, the pieces were separated. As years went by without their partner, the edges began to fray and bend. They wore down as life beat on them and that was never more evident than when they were reunited. While they may –in essence- always be made for one another, it didn't mean they fit as snugly as before.

He was too big a part of her life for K to walk off, especially now. So she'd stay… and likely question the decision later on.


	47. Chapter 47

**Enjoy! And thanks you guys.**

Chapter 47

K made her way through the streets and deep into the bayou the following morning. Elijah told her where Hayley was and while he was surprised she seemed to take interest in the wolf, her simple explanation was enough for him to understand she wasn't going there for her own health.

Within a quarter mile of the waterside cabin, K could hear the wolves following her. That's why she drove with her windows down. She wanted to be able to know how many of them were stalking her and at the moment it sounded like nearly a dozen.

The cabin came into view and before she threw the car into park, Hayley stepped out with a blond woman K didn't know. Hayley was confused as to who would actually drive to visit her until she spotted the one behind the wheel. Her expression turned cold the moment her eyes met K's and the same could be said for the vampire.

As she got out of the car, the wolves began to congregate around her, showing themselves and being sure to let K know she was surrounded. While she held a certain respect for the species older than her own, she wasn't unknown to fight them. It was always easy to escape wolves so she didn't understand why so many vampires had trouble with it. There were trees. Dogs, even supernatural ones, couldn't climb. She could. So with an escape plan through the high branched trees laid out in her mind, K approached the pregnant wolf.

"What do you want?" Hayley asked meanly.

K cocked a brow at the bravado Hayley seemed to have acquired with her newly formed army of pups.

"Look girlie, I've had too little sleep to deal with your attitude right now, okay?"

"What's the matter? The coffin not comfy?"

"Clever. I'm here cause Rebekah wanted me to check on you every once and a while since you've taken up residence here most nights."

Hayley seemed mildly surprised. Her stance relaxed marginally.

"So _you_ offered?"

"I didn't offer. She asked, I agreed."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"Yeah well, considering the two of us aren't even remotely friends, and you have no problem telling me how much you can't stand me, I find it a little hard to believe that you'd come out here so willingly." She spat derisively. Hayley didn't bother hiding her skeptical irritation and the more agitated she got, the more the wolves seemed to join her. K's patience was growing thinner. "So what's the real reason, huh? Klaus want to keep an eye on his kid? That it?"

"Okay," K growled through a tight jaw. She ran her hands down her face, rubbing it and hopefully ridding herself of her annoyance with Hayley. It didn't work. "I've had three hours of sleep. I'm hungry and I have your friends here licking their chops for a fight, so back off. I'm here cause a friend asked for a favor. I'm not here for Klaus."

"I still don't believe you."

"I don't give a shit."

The two were arguing. Hayley was baiting K, trying to show the vampire she wasn't afraid of her, that she was stronger than they thought even though she was pregnant, and that she had friends to help her. All it did was piss K off.

"Yeah," Hayley said sarcastically as she crossed her arms and rested them partially on her growing belly. "Like I said, we're not friends. You made that pretty clear the first time we met so you can just get in your car and drive back to the compound."

"That's why you're being such a bitch?" K asked in irritation. The wolves growled and snapped their jaws at her comment, but she ignored them. "Cause I didn't instantly warm up to you and start kissing your ass like the Mikaelsons? Really?"

"_I'm_ being the bitch?" Hayley shot back. She took a few steps forward so there was less than twenty feet between the arguing women. "You started the whole thing and I still don't even know why."

"Seriously? You couldn't even put that together on your own?"

Hayley glared at K. She'd been told a few times why K didn't warm up to her, but she thought the excuse was stupid.

"Cause I'm pregnant? Really?" she snapped angrily. "You hate me cause I'm pregnant. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

There was a hint of mocking in Hayley's words, a vindictive smile touching her lips that made K's blood boil in her veins. Her reasons for not liking Hayley were justified in her mind for more than a few reasons and the wolf's taunts were only making the wound rawer.

"You think that's funny?" she asked in an evil voice. Hayley noticed her eyes darken then return to normal and repeat the shift again like the vampire side was trying to come through, but K was holding it at bay. Barely. It made Hayley wonder if she'd pushed K too far. "I can't have kids, Hayley, ever." K spat. "I'll never get to have a family of my own or hold something that's part me. And I wanted that. I wanted to have kids, but _nooo_ I died instead and became this, frozen forever at nineteen. And all you did was piss and moan and bitch about being pregnant, like being a mother was some kind of burden and you expected me to be _nice_ to you because you get to have his…"

K immediately shut her mouth. During her rant, she almost slipped and said the one thing she didn't want to admit, but Hayley seemed to already sense what was coming next. Even if they weren't together now, K made it clear that when she was alive, part of her was more than willing to have a life with Klaus complete with children. The pair thought it was impossible given he was a vampire, so weren't surprised when she never got pregnant, but now it appeared that it was. Hayley was living proof that K could have had the life she wanted back then, the little ones that were a perfect mixture of her and someone she actually loved and Hayley had the gall to taunt her about it. It frayed too many nerves for K to remain.

She glanced back to Hayley, her features still cold while the wolf couldn't hide her shock.

"To hell with this." K growled.

She turned and made her way back to the car. In her riled state, K accidently pulled too hard on the door handle and actually ripped it off completely. She began to curse under her breath in another language before tossing it through the open window, opening the door from the inside and soon speeding off.

Hayley remained where she was long after the dust K had kicked up when she drove away settled. She was rubbing her belly reflexively and started to wonder how touchy the subject of her pregnancy must have been. Suddenly the cold shoulder she got from K began to make sense.

~~~!~~~

When K made her way home, she wanted to fight with something. She wanted to physically punch something or someone just to settle the anger she had coursing through her. While she never had much of a problem with Hayley herself –more the situation than anything- the wolf girl had hit more than a few sore subjects. K was beginning to hate the girl, not just the situation.

The only thing that eventually helped K calm in the least was sparring with inanimate objects. None of the other vampires in the compound would fight her. Perhaps with a clearer head she would have realized just how unhinged she seemed to look towards them and understood why they weren't willing to risk their lives so she could calm down. They were smart for staying away. K could have easily become a little too enthralled in the fight and ended up killing them without meaning to. So she found props to stand in the place of actual bodies.

The sound of breaking concrete drew eyes from more than just the day walkers in the compound. Klaus and Elijah stood on the second floor and watched as K fought the building supplies in lieu of whomever she was imagining them to be.

"She seems a bit agitated at the moment." Klaus sighed with mild annoyance. He just hoped she'd clean up the increasing mess when she was done.

Elijah only nodded as they watched K slam her fist through the wall of a concrete cylinder. The cement cracked and crumbled around the fist sized hole, but the four inch thick substance held strong. That was its design after all. The cylinder was obviously one of those used under bridges to direct the water and keep it from eroding away anything beneath the structure. They wondered briefly where she'd come across it and how she managed to get the six foot tall piece in their courtyard without anyone noticing. Without warning, K let loose her battle cry, swung her leg around in a high kick and easily destroyed the top foot and a half of the cylinder as though she wasn't trying. The debris shot through the gathering crowd, a few having to dodge them or risk it embedding in their foreheads.

If she noticed any of them she didn't let on. Honestly they weren't registering with her in the least. Walking towards the table she had moved out of her way, K took a long sip from her drink before setting down the empty glass and returning to her assault of the construction material.

Eventually the crowd began to disperse when it became obvious K was only trying to workout whatever issues she had surging through her mind. With what little the day walkers knew about her, they assumed it had something to do with the blond haired Original that was lingering above. Perhaps in the most round about way possible it did, but Klaus wasn't even on K's mind. He seemed to know too and left minutes after she'd reduced the slab of concrete to gravel. Elijah followed after, but knew enough to realize K was likely acting out because of whatever happened in the bayou.

Time continued on and K finally began to calm when she had nothing left to punch. She stood at the table with her back to the main entrance and poured the rest of the liquor she had into her glass. She'd finished off the bottle.

"Whoa."

K's shoulders tensed on reflex at the familiarity of the voice. She turned on her heel and spotted Hayley walking slowly into the courtyard, her eyes taking in every bit of rubble that blanketed the area.

Considering Hayley lived on the grounds at least part time, K returned to ignoring her. Hayley on the other hand wasn't there to stay the night. She had returned to talk to K, but after considering the damage she found herself surrounded by, she was wondering if it was a good idea.

Hayley had never paid much attention to K or the way she looked. After their initial meeting, she would only glance sideways and try to avoid eye contact, but now she did.

The young woman, who was about the same height as Hayley, looked like she'd been working out for a while. She stood near the table wearing a pair of shorts and a thinly strapped shirt, similar to something someone might sleep in. Hayley was a little surprised by it since she'd never seen K in so little, but the vampire had nothing to be ashamed of. She had a figure most women in the modern world would kill for, but it was more common place back when she was human. She'd spent most of her life working and it showed everywhere from her defined arms and legs to her narrow figure. Her deeply colored, nearly waist length hair was pulled back from her face and wrapped in a loose fitting bun at the top of her head. The only thing missing were wraps on her bare feet and hands, but considering vampires healed almost instantly, they weren't needed to preserve anything.

K was pretty, prettier than Hayley had thought, but she looked so young. Even though she continued to add years to her life, she never made it passed nineteen and it was obvious to anyone who knew her. K never developed complete 'womanly' features. Her face was heart shaped and while she had defined cheekbones, her features were still rounded like a girl's. She had bright green eyes, fair porcelain skin and full lips. She had the same timeless beauty Rebekah possessed which made Hayley a little jealous. After all, in no time at all, Hayley would already be biologically older than the thousand year old vampire. It almost didn't seem fair.

K finished off her drink again in one long gulp. It burned, but it helped. When she turned to leave, she noticed Hayley was closer and looking right at her. She paused and raised a brow to the obviously apprehensive wolf. When a few moments went by and Hayley hadn't offered a reason to why she was staring, K moved to walk around her.

"Kalli, wait." Hayley said quickly.

K bit the inside of her cheek and reluctantly turned. She kept her face as blank as possible, but it was a little difficult considering she'd begun hating the werewolf.

Hayley fumbled. Even though K looked so young, she had a death stare that rivaled the best of them and Hayley knew deep down that if she decided to shift, K could look just as evil as the rest of her species. But still Hayley wasn't sure how to phrase an apology considering the things she'd said a few hours earlier. She knew she'd actually hurt the vampire's feelings and she felt bad for it.

"Look, I'm…" she sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier."

K kept her features indifferent, but a bit of the coldness had begun to waver.

"I didn't know this was such a sore subject."

K felt herself shrug.

"It's fine." She replied.

And it was, in some regard. After all it wasn't as though anyone could do anything to change it. K would never be human again and Hayley was already pregnant, so what was the point of dwelling? She would be fine with it later, and if not she'd at least be able to tolerate it. After all, Hayley won't always be around. She was mortal. K wasn't.

"Thanks." She said, ready to leave again when Hayley stopped her.

"Are you still going to be coming by the bayou?"

"Sure." K answered halfheartedly.

When she turned to leave again, Hayley didn't stop her. She figured she might have been pushing her luck keeping the irritated vampire from leaving.

~~~!~~~

It took her a few days before K felt she could be around Hayley and not immediately strangle her. But, like she told the wolf and promised Rebekah, K finally made her way back to the bayou.

When she arrived, K got out of the car without being surrounded by wolves. They lingered, but they didn't seem to be as on edge around the newcomer as the first time. Apparently Hayley had told them about what happened at the Mikaelson home or at least that everything was okay. Whatever the reason, they weren't watching her like they were hunting food.

Hayley stepped out of the cabin and smiled as warmly as she could to the vampire. K returned the halfhearted sentiment as she moved towards the trunk.

"You bring something?" Hayley asked as she came forward.

"Yeah," K nodded. She opened the trunk and dipped in to pull out a case of bottled water. "Just some supplies."

"Well, thanks. You didn't have to."

"Yeah well," K sighed as she walked towards the cabin to set everything down. Hayley lingered at the car and glanced in to see what the vampire considered supplies. "I told Rebekah I'd keep an eye on you and at least this way you don't have to keep coming back to steal food from the compound."

"What little food there is you mean." Hayley replied as she pulled out a paper bag with some food in it.

K smiled weakly and nodded. She helped Hayley bring the last bits into the cabin. There wasn't much, but it was more than they had so the wolf was grateful for it.

"I have no idea if any of this stuff tastes good or not." K admitted as she helped Hayley unpack the bags. "It's been a while since I've eaten real food without it tasting like crap." Hayley laughed to herself and nodded. "And back then it didn't come in boxes or bottles."

"Yeah, but it lasts longer now."

"Cause its half cardboard." K muttered as she read over the ingredients to a box of granola and realizing she barely recognized half of them. Apparently it wasn't simply toasted oats and nuts anymore. Shaking her head, K set it down and folded up the empty paper bags. "But, whatever. Its not like I can judge what people eat."

~~~!~~~

It had been close to sundown when K had arrived at the cabin and by the time she unpacked everything and helped Hayley get whatever she had to organized, the sun had set. Locusts, crickets and all other manner of nightly bugs began to fill the air with their different clicks and chirps. The birds had gone silent and the bayou became beautifully peaceful.

K lingered near the water's edge while Hayley lit a fire. She was staring out at the moss covered water and let herself sink into it. It was nice being somewhere without the constant bustling of others and hearing them bicker. Granted the insects were almost deafening, but it was nicer.

The smells and sound of a fire caused K to turn around and notice it had finally taken. Hayley sat with the blond and the wolves lingered around. Some lay down and others were pacing because of the vampire. For whatever reason, Hayley looked more comfortable in the middle of nowhere than she ever did in the Quarter. K eventually made her way up to the fire pit.

"I'm heading back." She said, drawing Hayley's eyes. "You have everything for now?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah I think we're good for a few days. Thanks."

K forced a polite smile and nodded. Without another word, she got into the car and drove back into the city.


	48. Chapter 48

**Okay. This is a really long, middle chapter. It's just something to go in between ep 16 and 17.I hope you like it! Enjoy!  
**

Chapter 48

K and Hayley weren't friends. They knew it. They recognized it. But they tolerated each other because neither was as messed up in the head as the Mikaelson family. As things went, they were perhaps the most normal individuals in the group.

Elijah had taken to asking K how Hayley was. She'd tell him and give Hayley whatever messages he wanted to give her. She didn't bother asking why Elijah didn't head down there to meet her because she didn't have to. Klaus had become… erratic. K didn't know if his tailspin into debauchery was intentional or simply a way for him to release his stress, but whatever the reason it drove her from the compound most days and made Elijah stay closer. She may have told Klaus she had no intentions of being in a relationship with him at that moment, but it didn't mean she wanted to watch or listen to him having sex with the redhead. Sometimes she truly hated the supernatural senses…

"So, what does it smell like then?" Hayley asked as she stirred the soup they were making over the fire.

"Like what it is." K answered. "It's not the smell that's bad, it's the taste."

"Well, what's it taste like?"

Hayley regained her seat on one of the rocks across the fire from K. Kalli thought about how she'd answer. It had been so long since she'd actually tasted food for what it was; she almost forgot how good it used to be. She definitely remembered how nasty…

"Think of your favorite food."

"Does it have to be just one?" Hayley joked.

"Anything. Everything. Drink, candy, food, whatever. Think about how good it tastes, how you could eat it everyday for the rest of your life." She said, watching Hayley smile at the memory of whatever she was thinking of. "Now it tastes like chalk."

"What?" she laughed curiously.

"It does. It has a dry, grainy kind of taste now. It's just…" K shuddered briefly. "It's so disgusting."

She took another sip of her drink and continued to stare at the fire. Hayley mused for a moment over the comparison before remembering what she'd wanted to ask K for more than a week. She curled within her blanket a bit tighter than before.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

K looked up but didn't immediately answer. She just waited for Hayley to continue.

"How come you've been down here so often the passed week?" she asked bluntly. "I mean, you're nice and all, but I don't need that many supplies."

K shrugged her shoulder and looked again to the fire.

"I don't feel like being at the manor that much anymore."

"Why?"

K took a deep breath and sighed it almost obnoxiously.

"Because of Niklaus' new slut." She said before finishing off her scotch.

It took Hayley a minute to realize what she'd said.

"I'm sorry, his what?"

"He's screwing that redheaded witch, Genevieve. I don't know why, but-" K chewed on her lip briefly. "I _really_ want to kill her."

"Wait, I thought you and Klaus were getting back together or something."

"Oh god no." K answered with a weak laugh, trying to downplay as much of her relationship with Klaus as possible. "Right now I'm just trying not to stab him in the heart."

Hayley smiled weakly at K's supposed joke.

"But aren't you guys, like," she hesitated because what she was about to say left a nasty taste in her mouth. "In love with each other, or something."

K looked up and raised a brow. A smirk touched her lips. She could hear the discomfort in Hayley's words and it made her laugh to herself.

"Just cause you love someone doesn't always mean you should be together. Hell, I don't even _like_ him half the time."

Hayley laughed at the statement. She was as appeased by it as she ever would be considering who they were talking about, and let the subject lie. K's eyes went back to the fire and she let her mind wander to the conversation she'd had with Klaus the first time Genevieve had come around.

_Klaus's door was open so the already irritated K walked right through. Klaus's room was more or less a suite, much larger than the others and had more than one main area. When she turned the corner towards the 'living room' of it, she paused immediately. Klaus saw her over the corner of his painting and knew a fight was coming._

_Genevieve stepped out of his 'bedroom' wearing his robe and little else beneath it. She smiled happily at the dark haired woman. K's eyes slowly trailed from the witch to the hybrid, her face blank and mind reeling. She didn't have to be a genius to realize what had happened. Hell, the stench of sex was still in the air. _

_Klaus's hand stopped moving, the bristles of his brush still touching the canvas as he met K's eyes. He could see the rage bubbling within and prayed internally she wouldn't overreact. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done, but he did seem frightened after being caught._

"_Really?" she asked after a moment._

"_Shouldn't you knock before just walking into someone's room?" Genevieve asked without hesitation._

_K cocked a brow to the redhead that sauntered by her and soon looped her arms around the still silent Klaus. He was on edge and for good reason. He knew K well enough to know how she might act and if she did attack, it would be fast._

_Shaking her head, she gave Klaus her attention._

"_Are you planning on taking control of your day walkers at any point?" she asked Klaus, doing her best to ignore the witch._

"_Why should I care?" he asked, going back to his painting to try and appear more indifferent than he felt._

"_Because they're __your__ men and they're wandering around the Quarter without order, killing people in the open."_

"_They're no longer my problem."_

_K scoffed. Klaus glanced up, ignoring the woman on his shoulder and watched the one on the other side of the room shake her head. K chewed briefly on her bottom lip, looking as though she was surprised that she __wasn't__ surprised by his answer._

"_Just as well, I suppose." She said, looking up and meeting his eyes. Her face was suddenly cold. "Little boys shouldn't play King anyway. It really is a man's job."_

_And without another word on the matter, she turned and left him alone with his new friend. Klaus glowered hatefully over the edge of his canvas. K's words were deliberately cruel and cut deeply. Genevieve on the other hand was shocked the hybrid didn't immediately react to such a blatant insult. The most he did was tense his grip to the point the shaft of his paintbrush splintered._

_K was still stewing about what she'd seen when Klaus made his way to her room. It took everything in her power not to instantly attack him and he could tell. Her fists were clenched to the point her knuckles were white and the force would break a lesser being's bones. But she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of acting on her jealousy. She knew part of him would absolutely love the thought. What she didn't know is that while he did want her to fight, it wasn't for his pride. If anything, his pride was a bit hurt that she didn't seem to care enough to at least try. _

_They did, however, argue._

_They began to yell at each other, openly and loudly, in a language the others in the building couldn't understand so their conversation could be at least semi-private. Klaus knew the fight was going to happen the moment he decided Genevieve would serve his purpose._

"_Do you trust me?" he finally asked._

_She hesitated to speak._

"_Do you trust me?" he demanded again._

"_Should I?!" She shot back. _

_Klaus flinched whether he meant to or not._

"_Yes!" he yelled. "Now trust me to have a plan."_

"_Fine," she said through gritted teeth. K pushed herself up to stare him in the eye. "You can do what you want, screw the bitch until she can't see straight, but I'm not going to sit back and watch it happen. You want to have a friend to play with, have at it. I'll just find one of my own. Perhaps one of the day walkers?" Klaus's features darkened. A wicked smirk began to form on her lips. "Maybe even a werewolf to pass the time." _

_His eyes turned almost murderous which only broadened her smile._

_When she turned to leave, Klaus reached for her. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him once again. She wasn't frightened, only irritated and didn't bother hiding the emotion when he glared down at her._

_Klaus was seething, but he had trouble forming the words. He wanted to yell, but knew keeping a low voice sounded more threatening. He wanted to tell her she wasn't allowed to, but realized quickly he had no right. In truth it looked like his head might explode before he got a single word out._

_K's smile turned wide and victorious. She wrenched her arm out of his grip easily and squared herself defiantly on him._

"_What's the matter Niklaus?" she asked in a deceptively caring voice. "I thought we were just friends?"_

_His anger was growing much to K's delight. Beaming from her temporary victory, K turned and left the room. _

That was days ago and while she may have been happy with her taunting and mocking at the time, K was having second thoughts the longer she watched the redhead fawn over Klaus. Jealousy was a son of a bitch and she was suffering for it. Just because she didn't want to be with him right then and there didn't mean she liked seeing him with someone else.

"So," K said after a moment or two of silence. "How many of you guys are out here now?"

"A little over a dozen I think." Hayley replied. "There's a lot of them that were turned."

K's eyes looked out over the woods. She could see nearly all of them staring at her –the ones that remained hidden- and it made her uncomfortable. It wasn't that there were so many, it was that every dim light turned the wolves' eyes iridescent and the shining orbs were dotted through the trees' shadows.

"And every one of them hates me." She said simply. "That's awesome."

Hayley turned. She looked at K curiously. The statement was mildly sarcastic, but held a lot of truth too.

"You're a vampire." She said. "They hate every vampire just like every vampire hate werewolves."

"I don't. I never have."

"Seriously?" Hayley was skeptical as were the wolves who could hear the conversation.

"Well why would I? They've never done anything to me."

"Yeah, but there's been a feud between vampires and werewolves since… forever."

K scoffed which made Hayley raise a brow.

"It's no mystery how the species war started." K replied. She reached for her liquor and poured another. She remembered in detail what Klaus had told her when she asked why his family were the only vampires in the world. Hayley remembered what Elijah showed her. "Mikael was pissed off and just wanted to be better than the wolves so they could 'defend' themselves." K's eyes moved along the wolves around them. "Werewolves are the reason we even exist. But every fight since then, every squabble, that's just between those involved. I've never had a problem with a werewolf personally and I'm not about to go after an entire species because of something that happened forty years before I was born." She sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway. The hatred is so engrained in the blood at this point it'll never end."

Silence moved into the air between them. Neither spoke for a while because K's statement didn't exactly inspire conversation. Her words were heavy, depressing and horribly true. It wasn't a great jumping off point for anything else, but K was more than capable of changing the subject.

"So," she began, glancing skyward and seeing the three quarter moon looming in the sky. She looked back to Hayley. "You think that green goop is going to work, or what?"

Hayley took a deep breath and sighed. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I hope so, but Sabine… Celeste, wasn't really known for her truth telling, ya know?"

"Yeah well, it's hard to trust anyone that jumps bodies on a regular basis. That's just unnatural."

Hayley smiled weakly at the mild joke, but nodded regardless.

~~~!~~~

The following day, K was on the roof of the small building, threading through the wiring and doing her best to get it in order. Hayley stood down on the ground, her arms crossed as she looked up at the vampire curiously. Despite K's relatively laid back outfit –the oversized shirt and small denim shorts- she was wearing a pair of wedged heels that made her four inches taller. The shoes were the odd part. It was strange seeing a young woman scale a building in shoes like that and a little funny too.

"How does the heat and humidity not bother you anyway?" Hayley asked, not bothering to yell because there wasn't a need.

"Well, aside from being dead," K said as she tightened the clamp that secured the cable to the house. "And not all that affected by weather, you have to remember, I've been without AC and electricity longer than I've had it."

When she finished, K tossed the roll of cable to the ground, grabbed her tool bag and stepped off the roof. She landed near Hayley as though she'd skipped and not fallen more than ten feet. She ran her fingers through her hair, grabbed the cable firmly and looked to Hayley.

"I mean, I freaked the first time I saw electricity." She said with a smile. "And even then it took years before houses were wired up. Before that it was candles, oil lamps and fireplaces. No electricity meant no AC or heaters. You get used to it."

Hayley had been walking with K down the pathway towards the power line K planned to tap into so the wolf could have consistent energy. She listened to the vampire's words and couldn't help but shake her head at it.

"I keep forgetting how old you people are." She said under her breath.

K laughed lightly.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Hell, I've worn a corset longer than not."

"Seriously?"

"Seven hundred years give or take." K nodded. "I know people say things change all the time, but you live long enough, you start to see how much they stay the same too."

"I guess."

When they reached the pole, K made sure everything she needed was as secured to her body as possible before she leapt into the air. The spikes that stuck out for workers to climb were only a few feet above her head, so once she had a hold of them, climbing the rest of the way took seconds.

Hayley again remained on the ground and watched in stunned disbelief as K continued to wire up the small cabin. She didn't realize that was what would happen when she made the offhanded comment about the weather. But the simplistic system wasn't cutting it anymore. The generator worked for the pair of actual bulbs that worked inside the cabin, but it was good for little else. Besides, it was loud and took too much gas to maintain. When Hayley asked if K could convince someone –meaning compel- to come out and wire the place up, she was shocked to hear her volunteer.

K had always loved building things, creating and working. She liked keeping busy and what better way than to rewire a home? She learned the trade decades prior and the cabin was small so there wasn't much need for anything extravagant. And it kept her busy. That was the best part. It kept her away from the compound for a long time, hours some times, and she welcomed it entirely.

"How do you know how to do this?" Hayley called up.

"It's not the first time I've had to steal power." K joked –sort of- as she continued working.

Hayley nodded her impressed approval.

It took minutes before K was done. Trimming the extra cable, she glanced down to make sure Hayley wasn't beneath her and let it drop. Shortly after she followed suit and again landed firmly on the ground. She looked up at Hayley and smiled.

"Let's see if the house blows up."

Hayley's eyes went a little wide, but she followed K regardless. The cabin didn't blow up. In fact, nothing sparked or sizzled or blew out. While K checked every outlet to ensure they all worked, Hayley immediately went to the window unit and plugged it in. With a few buttons pressed, ice cold air began to billow out of it.

"Oh thank god." Hayley sighed as she stood in front of the air conditioner.

K laughed before she could stop herself.

"What?" Hayley asked sarcastically as she turned her back to the breeze. "I have a gut the size of a beach ball and its a thousand degrees here everyday. You have no idea how good this feels."

The vampire smiled, but didn't argue with her. She didn't notice much of a difference between temperatures unless they were extreme.

"You should be fine now." K said when she finished her inspection. "Nothing's going to catch fire when you plug it in."

"Great." Hayley replied as she followed the young woman back outside and towards the car. "Thanks, for this. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem." K nodded as she put the tool bag back in the trunk. "It got me away from the Quarter for a while, so I was happy to do it."

As she slammed the trunk lid shut, a couple of the wolves came walking up. She gave them her attention, unwilling to have any of them out of her line of sight. They didn't seem as on edge as before, but she attributed that to the fact she'd been out in the bayou more often than not over the passed three weeks.

"Hello." K said kindly though there was a bit of apprehension in her voice.

"That's Jackson." Hayley introduced.

K nodded at the wolf with the black and white face. Her eyes shifted to the one right on his side.

"And Oliver."

"Right." She said under her breath. "Well, it's nice meeting you guys." She felt a little dumb for talking to animals that couldn't speak back and soon turned to Hayley. "I'll see you later."

"Okay, thanks again."

K smiled kindly and got into the car. She started it up before remembering something.

"Oh, Hayley," she said quickly. The wolf stopped in her spot a few steps away and turned. "I'm going out of town, so I'll be gone for a couple of days. I won't be able to come by if you need something."

"Where are you going?"

"California. I never took care of my apartment before I left." She replied. Hayley smiled and nodded. She told K she'd be fine and with that the vampire left.

~~!~~

Before leaving New Orleans, K told Elijah what she was doing. He seemed worried she planned to leave indefinitely, but that wasn't it. K explained she was going to suspend her utilities and pay the next few months of her rent. When he asked why, her answer was simple. She just didn't know how long she'd want to be around Klaus. Elijah understood entirely. Honestly she probably wouldn't have told him anything if she wasn't paranoid about someone going into her room while she was gone.

In California, K was gathering the two bags she'd packed –a few clothes, but some possessions she didn't like out of reach- and moved them into the hallway outside her apartment door. When she slammed her heavy front door closed and began to lock it, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye. Her neighbors. They weren't the same young blond girl K had met before. They were handsome young men.

They caught sight of her the same time she noticed them. They were both around six feet tall, broad and thick with muscle and one looked in his mid-twenties while the other was possibly thirty. Honestly K was horrible at telling ages amongst humans anymore. The older one had light brown hair, tan skin and bright blue eyes that complimented the smirk on his lips. The younger of the two had much darker hair, a stern jaw line and big green eyes. They were both cute enough K's dead heart wanted to sputter.

Looping her bags around her arms, she set off down the hall towards them. The older of the two stepped towards her.

"Need a hand?" he asked in a voice as charming as the rest of him.

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks though."

"Going on a trip?"

"Uh, something like that." She laughed lightly. The younger one was obviously annoyed the elder continued talking, while K just wondered where the small talk was going.

"Well, if you ever need anything, I'm Peter Hale," he offered his hand. K shook it. "And this bundle of sunshine is my nephew Derek."

Derek did little more than nod which K returned.

"Kalli." She replied. "It was nice meeting both of you."

Peter said his goodbye, which K returned, before disappearing into the elevator. She liked those neighbors better than the clingy blond. And they were werewolves to boot. Nice.


	49. Chapter 49

**I already know what you guys are thinking and I totally agree. I think it's about time K find someone that cares about her more than themselves. It's time for Klaus to be taught some humility.**

Chapter 49

The day after she got back, Hayley called K and asked her for another favor. She had a list of things she wanted to pick up for the following night when the moon would finally be full and didn't have a car. She wanted it to be a celebration if the potion worked, or at the very least a good meal if the pack had to turn again. She would have felt bad for constantly asking K to do things with/for her, but K made it abundantly clear that she'd be more than happy to do whatever as long as it got her away from Klaus.

K arrived a few minutes after the call with a car they could fill up with everything and took Hayley back into the city. They loaded the vehicle with a ridiculous amount of food, clothing and all manner of things to dress a table. K teased the young wolf about it, but did little to keep her from spending the money. When they reached the cabin, K gathered most of the heavy things and began to unload them.

"Seriously," K snapped as she stepped off the cabin's porch. "Stop."

She snatched the box filled with canned food and boxes of whatever else from the pregnant werewolf. Hayley glared halfheartedly.

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

"Pregnant, exactly." K replied. She set the box on the porch and when she turned she noticed Hayley with another just like it in her arms. She growled. "I don't care if it is some supernatural thingy growing in there." She snatched the second box away just like she had the first. "Besides, I don't need one of your relatives getting pissed and biting me."

Hayley looked around as K set the second box on the porch and noticed the wolves seemed to silently agree with the vampire. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and fidgeted on her feet.

"Well, I need something to do." She said finally when K stepped around her and back to the trunk of the car.

"Fine," she grumbled. K reached in and grabbed the box of taper candles that couldn't have weighed more than a pound or two and handed them to the wolf. "Here."

Hayley glanced inside the box and raised a brow.

"Really?" she asked flatly.

K responded with a firmly pointed finger telling Hayley to go on with her box. She glared openly at the vampire, but did as she was told.

The cabin had been cleaned up a decent amount since Hayley had taken over partial residence. She got rid of a lot of the debris, swept it out and even cleaned the fridge giving them more than enough room to fill it. And fill it they did. K couldn't fathom someone –even a group of people- eating as much food as they'd bought, but Hayley was adamant that it was needed.

Having other things she needed to do that day, K was ready to leave not long after arriving. She had her keys in her hand as she stepped off the front porch after saying farewell to Hayley, but the young wolf had something to ask.

"Hey Kalli," Hayley called. The vampire turned when she reached the driver's side door and waited for her to speak. Hayley took a few steps forward and looked apprehensively at her surroundings, sure the wolves weren't close by before speaking. "You know you're welcome to come by tomorrow night, right?"

K seemed surprised by the offer and didn't bother hiding it. She opened her mouth to speak, but heard rustling first. She looked at noticed the wolves Hayley introduced before –Jackson and Olli- were coming closer.

"Thanks, but," she met Hayley's eyes again. "I doubt your friends are going to want a vampire around."

Hayley didn't remark on the matter and let K leave with a wave and parting farewell.

~~~!~~~

K was in her bedroom. It was the day of the full moon and everyone seemed to have something to do. Except her. She decided that to stay busy, she'd go shopping. It wasn't that the activity was her favorite pastime; it was that she had to out of obligation. She just wanted something to do and a few cute outfits. It wasn't as though she had Rebekah to borrow anything dressy from anymore.

Making sure she had her keys and anything else she might need for the day long shopping trip that would keep her out of the house, K turned just as Elijah knocked on her threshold.

"Elijah," she said with a hint of surprise. "Hi."

A light smile briefly touched his lips at the shock.

"I'm sorry if I startled you." He told her.

"It's fine. You need something?"

"Yes," he nodded. Elijah stepped into the room with his hands in his pockets and a heavy look on his face. She didn't know he'd just spoken with Klaus and kicked Genevieve out of the house. "I was hoping you would help me with something."

She narrowed her eyes skeptically. That phrase could mean any number of things when uttered from the mouth of a Mikaelson. He seemed to sense her apprehension.

"It's nothing you're not already adept at, I assure you." He said, hoping to keep her a bit at ease. "I was simply hoping you would help me in uniting the other supernatural factions of New Orleans."

K's eyes narrowed, her head tilted to the side and her mouth hung slack in an "o" shape as though she was trying to speak, but had no idea what to say. A moment or two passed before she found the ability.

"Huh?" she asked finally.

He seemed amused by her reaction and understood it completely.

"Niklaus has already made it clear he has no desire to run this city at the moment, and unfortunately that is exactly what it needs, but it will take more than one individual. As it is, I trust the day walkers for little more than taking up space."

"But… you trust me." She muttered. Her brain was still having trouble catching up.

"I do." He admitted without reservation. K's face fell. "You are intelligent, unafraid of a fight should it be required, but most importantly you are compassionate. It is your ability to remain levelheaded and open-minded that I need."

"So you're asking me to be your right hand?"

"An advisor, yes."

K couldn't hide her flattered shock. With Elijah coming to her with something as important as helping him rebuild New Orleans, it was difficult to feel any other way. But that didn't help her answer his question. A moment passed, and then another and still K hadn't given him a reply. Elijah only seemed amused and smiled.

"Perhaps you need some time to think about it." He suggested.

"That'd be nice." She answered under her breath.

"As you wish." He nodded. Elijah turned to leave and hesitated by the doorway. "Do let me know soon, would you?"

K nodded and Elijah left. With his offer rattling around in her head, K left the compound and began her wandering trek through the city.

~~~!~~~

By that night, K had given Elijah her answer. She agreed. She didn't know what she was going to be asked to do –if anything- but she was a bit curious to see how Elijah thought she'd be useful. She told him immediately that she wasn't going to be the blunt instrument; she wasn't going to be some tool he used to get his way to which Elijah replied he was more than capable of settling a fight on his own.

Near midnight, K got a text from Hayley telling her the potion worked and the wolves were human now. K gave her congratulations and went to bed.

The following morning she was asked to join Elijah in a table discussion. He was bringing all of the factions together to sit down and talk. He had only meant to lay down guidelines, rules they would each abide by when it came to coexisting in the Quarter. He just wanted to stop the warring in the streets, but it didn't take long for the fighting to begin. It got worse when Hayley showed herself and declared the wolves deserved a seat at the table too. The arguing before was nothing compared to what it became after her conditions. The table erupted immediately and it had drawn on K's last nerve.

"Enough!" she bellowed loud enough her voice echoed off the surrounding church walls. It stunned the group into silence. She looked at each of them and stepped forward to speak. "This is ridiculous. The egos in this room are stifling."

"Who in the hell do you think you are?" Genevieve snapped.

K turned her head towards the redhead so slowly it looked painful.

"The one talking." She replied in a low, eerie voice. Genevieve fidgeted, but tried to look as though she wasn't bothered by the vampire. "Now," K sighed as she took her spot beside Elijah. "I get that each of you represents a proud group, I do. I mean, we've got the witches." She pointed to the ones gathered. "Magic weavers, manipulators of the elements and conjurers of all manner of tricks. Vampires," she looked to the day walkers on her left. "Strong, ruthless and nearly immortal. Then the humans," her eyes shifted to the ever deteriorating Father Kieran. "The ones who hold everything together and make sure we remain unseen. And of course wolves," she then turned to Hayley. "One of the oldest species amongst us and whether we like to admit it or not, easily rival a vampire." Hayley smiled lightly at the comment and nodded softly her thanks. "Each of us has incredible power, but every one of you seems to forget we have weaknesses too. If there is a war between the species, I can guarantee no one will win. Dozens from each side will die, the fighting will go on for who knows how long and all we'll end up doing is exposing ourselves to the world. And then we'll have them to contend with. Our kinds have coexisted before throughout history which means it can be done again." Her stern gaze darted from one irritated person to the next. Each other them couldn't believe they were being lectured by someone they didn't really know, but she didn't care. "I suggest you think about it."

No one sitting at the table seemed happy with her declaration, but it didn't make it any less true. For some reason, every one of them tended to forget they had weaknesses that every other faction knew about.

The witches, while incredibly strong, were mortal and they had to be born. Witches were witches from birth. It wasn't something that was learned. It was familial, so if they were wiped out, there was nothing any of them could do about it. The New Orleans witches would be dead and gone.

Vampires were strong, fast and capable predators, but they couldn't be invited into homes which kept mortals safe. Vervain was toxic, werewolf bites lethal along with sunlight and wooden stakes. Even if a day walker went against a witch, if she was strong enough she could cancel out the magic in their ring and they could burn to death before finding shelter. K had seen it done before.

Humans… well, compared to the others they were little more than stepping stones, but they outnumbered the supernatural ten to one. And that was not only a low estimate, but included every single breed of the supernatural, not them individually.

Then there were werewolves. They were strong, fast, and just as capable as the vampires. Once a month. Every other day they were human –strong, but human nonetheless- and their 'curse' was familial too. Just like the witches, they could be wiped out.

Vampires were the only ones that couldn't. No one could kill the Originals without the stake so they could just keep replenishing their ranks. That, however, was a fact K left out of her speech. She didn't need to make the others jumpier than they already were.

Those gathered left shortly after K stopped talking. It was their cue to get the hell out of the church and 'talk amongst themselves'. Hayley remained and considering the anger on her face, K decided to give her and Elijah a moment alone. She didn't go far, however. K was just outside, sitting on the stair railing and listening to the pair argue inside. Some of it made her smile.

Not long after the argument began, it ended and Hayley walked out. She glanced to K and paused in step before proceeding down the stairs.

"You knew this was going on and you couldn't call me?" Hayley asked, keeping her agitation evident.

"It wasn't necessary." K replied easily.

Hayley stopped walking. She turned on her heel to see K swinging her legs like a five year old would if they were feet didn't touch the ground, looking at her like Hayley's anger was unfounded.

"What?" she asked under her breath, feeling the irritation once harbored towards Elijah focus on K.

"It wasn't." she repeated in the same carefree tone. "Since you've been in the bayou, you don't know what's been going on here, but I still sleep at the compound so I've seen it. Vampires are attacking humans and witches openly in the streets. Witches are doing the same to vampires. They aren't even bothering to hide it from tourists anymore."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"It is. That's why Elijah brought them all here and why the wolves weren't involved yet." She explained. Hayley didn't seem appeased. K sighed and jumped off her perch. "Look, I get why you're pissed, but there's already anarchy in the streets now. Elijah's just trying to clean up what Klaus and Marcel left behind."

Hayley seemed to calm. She understood after Elijah explained the situation, but she still didn't like it. She didn't like thinking her people were being treated like strays so it was difficult for her to take his exclusion as anything else.

"I guess." She replied. "I still don't like it."

K shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah well, there's not much else anyone can do about it. It's either this, or go back to the way Marcel was running things. Honestly you'd think the witches would jump at the chance not to be hunted down in the streets."

"And the wolves shunned into the bayou? You really think they deserve that?"

"No. But you and I both know that's where the problem is going to come from. It's going to be between us and them, just like it always is."

"Yeah," Hayley reluctantly nodded. "And no offense, but those day walkers are idiots."

K smirked and laughed lightly. She nodded.

"Oh I know." She agreed.

~~~!~~~

Needing silence, or at least to not be interrupted, K took her book to one place she knew no one else would go. The roof. The sunset had been beautiful, the night air a bit crisp and void of much humidity despite the river nearby and she adored it.

Lying on her back with an arm behind her head, K read her favorite book, _Inferno_. She had read _Purgatorio_ and _Paradiso_, but Dante's _Inferno_ was always her favorite. It both terrified her and uplifted her. On the one hand, if Dante's descriptions of Hell were accurate, she knew precisely which level she'd be on which terrified her. On the other, it made her realize that what she called Hell on Earth perhaps wasn't so bad. Either way, it was a wonderful book regardless.

Her phone began to ring. K reached blindly for it and answered the call before setting the device on her chest.

"Yes?" she asked.

"_Where are you?"_ Elijah asked. He didn't sound angry, only curious. She could hear his voice both through the phone and in the air which meant he heard the same from her and it confused him.

"On the roof." She answered. "Why?"

Elijah walked into the center of the courtyard and turned his eyes skyward.

"_Where?"_

Instead of standing, K thrust her leg up into the air like a marker while she continued to read. She heard Elijah chuckle through the phone.

"_Would you come down here please? I'd like to speak with you."_

"Uh-huh." She answered absently.

Her phone lit up shortly after which meant he ended the call. K dropped her leg, continued her paragraph until stopping and stood. She spotted Elijah down below, looking up at her and waiting for her to join him on the ground floor. As she walked to the edge of the roof, K spotted something that made her face turn cold. Elijah noticed the shift and glanced over his shoulder. He soon shared K's reaction.

"Why are you here?" Elijah asked with a mild sigh.

"I was invited." Genevieve smiled.

Elijah wanted to tell her to leave, but Klaus soon emerged on the third level balcony, smiling down at the redhead. He said nothing further, but to his delight K stepped off the edge of the roof and fell directly in front of Klaus. The shock on his brother's face was enough for mild enjoyment.

K landed a few feet from Elijah and Genevieve. She stared coldly at the redhead, but the witch only enjoyed the glower.

"Kalli pet," Klaus called from high above. She turned and looked to him just as Genevieve started for the stares. "The hell were you doing on the roof?"

"Reading." She replied in her normal voice. "Although now I'm deciding to leave the grounds again all together."

Klaus didn't seem happy with her statement, but she didn't care. Since he'd begun his romps with the witch a month prior, he'd only spoken to her a handful of times and others he'd barely catch glimpses of her. For living in the same home and having bedrooms right next to each other, it was amazing how scarce she could be.

"Come," Elijah said, drawing her attention. "We can speak elsewhere while Niklaus is… occupied."

"Hm." She replied.

The two stared disapprovingly at Klaus before walking towards the streets and away from him. Klaus lingered. He felt cold shoot through his spine for more than a single reason. He didn't like how K looked at him now or that she seemed to be so cozy with his brother. His antics had run struck K's last nerve and she no longer wanted anything to do with him.

In fact neither cared if Klaus was uncomfortable. They had things to discuss, like Elijah putting K in charge of the vampire minions. She liked the thought and welcomed it. It gave her the chance to whip them back into shape and use whichever techniques she wanted. Elijah gave her complete control, telling her he trusted her judgment and knew she'd at least be fair.


	50. Chapter 50

**Wow this is long... But still, I hope you guys enjoy!  
**

Chapter 50

K got out of her car and like every other time when driving to the bayou; she was greeted by the wolves and Hayley. The only difference now was the wolves were in human form. So many faces stared at her and none of them were people she recognized.

A tall dark haired man approached her first just as Hayley stepped out of the cabin. He looked sternly at the vampire which made her raise a brow. He was cute, but that did little to sway the obvious irritation he exuded at K's mere presence.

"It's Kalli, right?" he asked in a deep rumbling voice.

"It is." She nodded, awaiting the inevitable harsh words.

"Well, thanks for everything you did for Hayley, but she's got us now. She doesn't need your help anymore."

While the statement could have easily been kind or polite, he said it so tersely and cold it came off as just plain mean. Hayley heard it and immediately spoke up before a fight could start.

"Jackson, stop." She said as she joined his side.

"No, it's fine." K replied with mild sarcasm, her eyes never leaving Jackson's. "You see, this is probably as polite as he'll ever be to me. All he sees, all any of them see when they look at me, is a blood thirsty, leech. An abomination. Am I right?" she asked. He didn't respond, but she could see it in his eyes. "Yeah," she nodded to herself, keeping the defensive sarcastic tone to her words. "That's all they'll ever see." She looked at Hayley. "I told you, the hate runs too deep. I could save an orphanage run by nuns from a fire, and they'd think I was the one who struck the match." She glanced briefly to Jackson. "They'd never even waste the time to get to know before hating me either."

The air was thick and tense and Hayley could feel the electricity coursing through the gathering wolves and K. While she didn't necessarily think anyone would react without provocation, she didn't want to test the theory either.

"So," she chimed almost happily, drawing K's eyes. "What brings you out here?"

K's eyes lingered for a just a moment on Jackson before they shifted to the pregnant wolf.

"I come bearing gifts." She replied simply. K turned and walked to the rear driver's side door. She reached in through the open window and pulled out a small box. When she approached them again, to their surprise, she offered the box to Jackson. He reluctantly took it. "They're invitations." She said as he opened the box. K looked to Hayley. "Elijah's throwing a party tonight and he wants everyone there. Including the pack."

"Why?" Jackson asked as Hayley reached for the stock cards with elaborate writing.

"Because he wants to try and keep the blood from running through the streets of New Orleans." She replied. Jackson raised a brow while K's face remained blank. "And for those of us who've seen our fair share of wars, we'd rather not see another."

She turned and made her way back towards her car. K opened the driver's side door and noticed every wolf was staring at her with cold, dead eyes. She fought the urge to say _I told ya so_ to Hayley.

"Nice meeting you." K said without emotion. She got into her car and drove off without so much as a goodbye.

When she was gone, Hayley turned a stern eye to Jackson.

"What the hell was that?" she snapped.

"She's a vampire." He said as though that were the only excuse he needed.

Hayley shook her head. She couldn't believe how right K had been when she said everyone in the pack hated her without bothering to know her. And she said it more than a week before the curse was even broken. It was like she knew the moment they could voice their opinions, they'd only repeat the same crap she'd heard a thousand times before from their species.

~~~!~~~

The party began to rage on the main floor. The courtyard was littered with humans and vampires. The witches were coming soon as were the wolves. It was strange having so many people in one place that knew about everyone else.

Before joining the festivities, K made sure her bedroom door was locked. The last thing she wanted was to have to murder a couple stupid enough to try and hook up in her bed. And she would too. That might put a damper on the evening, so she took the precautions.

She stood on the second floor of the compound watching everyone down below. She was leaning against the railing, her palms flat against the cold iron surface when she felt someone walk up behind her. Noticing how many people were there, she assumed it was nothing more than a party goer. She was wrong.

Klaus came into her periphery. He stood beside her, leaning against the stucco archway to her left. She could feel him looking at her, but K didn't bother with a glance. He ogled her briefly. K wasn't bothering with a dress like the other women, which already made her stand out. Instead she was donning a loose fitting, off the shoulder black shirt, a pair of black shorts that were nearly invisible beneath the hem of her shirt and the same spiked heels he'd seen her wear before. With the smoky eye shadow and the stargazer lily clipped into her hair, it was the perfect mixture of innocent and wicked. He liked it.

But minutes began to tick by and still she refused to look at him. It drew on Klaus's last nerve.

"Still cross with me, sweetheart?" he asked leisurely.

"I'm just watching the party." She said as effortlessly. K stood and looked at the man to her side without a hint of emotion. "Trust me, you don't hold that much sway over me."

K turned, ready to join the party below when Klaus reached out and grabbed her arm. He spun her around and forced her to look at him.

"Enough." He said sternly under his breath. "I told you there's a point and purpose to what I'm doing."

"I'm sorry, but were you under the impression I cared?" she asked coldly.

Klaus's brows twitched and he narrowed his eyes on her. He hadn't realized that his pursuit of Genevieve made it all the easier for K to begin resenting him the longer he continued on. He didn't like it. But honestly, he should have expected it. After everything he'd put her through, the good was being choked out by the bad and soon he'd have nothing to redeem himself in her eyes.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" he dared.

"Because we share a wall." She answered, taking a step closer to him. "Do you really think I want to listen to the two of you having sex every other day?" he didn't speak. "Would you stick around if I had someone in my bed just as often?"

Klaus's features turned dark again. While he could justify what he was doing all day long, the thought of K doing the same seemed to infuriate him. He didn't even recognize the double standard.

K snatched her arm back from Klaus and without speaking again left. He didn't stop her a second time because he didn't know what he could say to her.

Neither knew the witches had already arrived and Genevieve was less than happy about what she'd seen when she spotted the pair up above.

K didn't care. She avoided Klaus and most everyone. She wasn't one for a party that night. For some reason, she seemed less than enthusiastic about it. Everyone seemed to have something to do, people to talk to and K couldn't help but wish Rebekah was there. At least with the blond, she'd have had someone to mock others with.

As K finished another drink –internally wondering if she was becoming an alcoholic- she caught sight of Davina. Rebekah had told her the witch was resurrected, but with everything else that had been going on, she hadn't had the time to say anything. Then again, it wasn't as though she was friends with the witch either, but after seeing her scurry away, K became curious.

Davina was standing in a dark corner, darker than the one she'd been in, when K found her. She was sniffing and the moment she heard K's footsteps, began to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"You okay?" K asked rhetorically.

"Fine." Davina lied.

"Drink?" K offered her the fresh beverage she'd snatched on the short trek over.

"I'm sixteen."

"I'm the walking dead." K replied with a shrug. "Semantics."

Davina laughed before she could stop herself. She looked around and hesitantly took the scotch from K. She took a sip, immediately coughed and handed it back. K smiled.

"Oh god, that's disgusting." Davina said with a strained voice.

"Yeah well," K smiled. "So, why are you hidden away in a corner? I'd have thought you'd be celebrating being back amongst the living."

Davina wrapped her arms around her body and looked around. She all but refused to meet K's eyes which made the vampire curious. She was nothing like K had seen been before the Harvest. This version of the child was insecure, meek and timid. Something was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Davina lied. "Look, I'm going to-"

She tried to walk away, but K grabbed her arm and stopped her. Davina looked up and noticed concern on K's face.

"Look, I know we don't know each other all that well, but you can tell me if something's wrong."

Again the young witch seemed to shirk away from saying anything. She spotted Monique dancing with the blond werewolf and her eyes darkened. K noticed. Glancing up, she saw the smiling Deveraeux girl. She may not know what exactly was happening between them, but considering the smug grin on one girl's face and the worry from the other, it was fairly obvious, especially if one considered what happened before Davina was sacrificed.

"Don't let them get to you." K replied. She looked back to Davina who was staring up at her. She forced a kind smile. "I know it sounds cliché, but the best way to get at people is to make them think you don't care about anything they have to say."

Davina forced a smile –barely more than a twitch of the lips in reality- and nodded as much as she could to the vampire. K returned the sentiment and left the young woman to herself.

As she wandered through the party, K felt eyes burning at the back of her neck. She assumed the looks were coming from Klaus lingering elsewhere in the party and did her best to ignore it. She didn't want to bother turning and giving him the attention he seemed desperate to get.

Swallowing the rest of her scotch, K set the empty glass on a passing tray and snatched a fresh one in the same move. She put the crystal to her lips as Hayley walked up to her. The young wolf forced a smile and her mere presence kept K from downing the drink again.

"Hey." She said tentatively.

"Hi." K replied in the same lackluster tone.

Hayley chewed on her bottom lip and looked like she wanted to say something. K just waited.

"Look," she said under her breath, hesitantly meeting K's eyes. "I just wanted to say sorry about earlier. I didn't think-"

K held up her hand and shook her head, dismissing the apology entirely.

"Don't worry about it." K told her. "It doesn't really matter. Nine out of ten wolves you talk to are gonna say we're nothing more than blood-sucking, cold hearted corpses."

Hayley looked sadly at K. It wasn't that she pitied her; it was that she felt bad how astute and correct K was about the hatred between the species.

"Well," a deep voice said from behind. "Not _all_ of us."

"Hey Adam." Hayley greeted.

K turned to see who had walked up behind her. A young man, maybe twenty or so, stood over her, smiling warmly to the pair though his gaze lingered primarily on K. She tilted her head to the side and examined him. He was tall, six feet and an inch or two more. He was broad and muscled, but not overly so. His hair was dark like hers and cut short to his head, his skin tanned –though compared to K's nearly white complexion he was likely just a normal skin tone- stubble on his cheeks and slate gray eyes. He was cute, there was no denying it, but there was something else. He smiled slyly to her.

"How's it goin' Kalli?" he asked in a deep, Southern accented voice.

Her eyes narrowed briefly. There was something… K's eyes suddenly shot wide.

"Oh my god." she declared with a wide smile. "Oh my god!"

Adam chuckled. He put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side to look at her with his growing smirk.

"Remember me now?" he teased.

"Well give me a break." K laughed. "You were so little back then."

"You guys know each other?" Hayley felt stupid for asking an obvious question, but she was curious as to how.

"Oh, uh, yeah." K couldn't stop laughing under her breath. She shifted to the side so she could face both Hayley and Adam without turning her back to one of them. "A few years ago, Mrs. Bennett got a call from an old friend. Evidently the friend knew someone who was looking for a way to try and cure the Curse or something. Bonnie was just a kid, so Mrs. Bennett had me tagging along." K looked back to Adam and went so far as to pinch his cheeks and change her tone to a baby voice. "And that's where I met little Adam."

He chuckled and swatted her hand away.

"But, there's no cure or way to reverse the Curse." Hayley said.

Adam's smile fell slightly.

"Yeah, that what Mrs. Bennett told my old man." He admitted sadly.

"I thought you hadn't been to New Orleans before." Hayley said to K.

"I haven't. Adam's family's from Baton Rouge." She said simply. "That's the furthest south I've been in Louisiana. Mrs. Bennett and Bonnie came through here though. I didn't. I figured they could spend some family time together and went back to Mystic Falls instead."

"Huh…" Hayley mumbled to herself.

She was having trouble believing the story. Hayley didn't think K was lying, but it hadn't been something she'd assumed would have happened so her brain was taking a minute or two to catch up.

"Well come on," Adam said, offering his arm to the vampire. "You can catch me up with a dance."

K laughed and shook her head in disbelief before looping her arm around his and joining him on the dance floor. Her night suddenly picked up.

The two made their way to the middle of the dance floor and took hold of each other. K knew it wasn't going to be the 'actual' dancing she'd done with Klaus or anyone else old enough to have been to a ball, but she didn't mind.

Adam held her waist gently while K's arms hung around his neck. She couldn't wipe the smile from her lips as she looked up at him. It made Adam chuckle.

"What?" he asked with a light laugh.

"I just can't believe it." She smiled. "I mean, look at you. You're huge!"

He laughed again and shook his head.

"Well it's been what, twelve years? Thirteen?"

"Wow," K mumbled as she thought about it. "Yeah, I guess it has, huh. Time just… it doesn't really move the same with us, ya know? I mean, it's kind of easy to forget other people age sometimes."

"I guess." He nodded. Adam looked over her features and let another smirk touch his full lips. K glowered halfheartedly because of it.

"What?" she asked skeptically.

"Nothing." He answered in a voice that let her know he was lying. Her glare deepened. "I'm just wondering what made you suddenly take up with this psycho hybrid Klaus I've been hearing everyone talk about. I can't imagine Mrs. Bennett's too happy bout that."

It was meant to be a joke, but K's smile turned forced and he noticed.

"What?" he asked apprehensively.

"She's gone." K said under her breath. Adam's brows came together. "Sheila passed away a couple years ago."

"Oh," he mumbled. "I'm sorry. How'd Bonnie take it?"

Her face fell again. She let her head drop and Adam stopped their swaying. He looked down at her sadly. He didn't even have to ask.

"Jesus," he sighed softly. "I'm so sorry Kalli, really."

She nodded, but kept her head down. The memories of Bonnie's passing were still new and still hurt. K sniffed and cleared her throat before looking back up to Adam and forcing a smile.

"It's fine." She lied. He could tell, but didn't press it. The single tear that had come free was proof enough she wasn't fine. "I at least got to know her."

Adam nodded. It wasn't entirely common knowledge, but rumor, that the Bennett witches had a vampire on a leash –so to speak- and most of the supernatural community didn't believe it until meeting K. The rumor was the entire family line, the direct descendents, had a vampire guard dog that was always there, devoted to the family and more than willing to kill any threat. So, just from rumors, Adam knew K must have been close to the family.

He forced a smile –as reassuring one as he could- and reached up. Gently cupping her jaw, he ran his thumb across her cheek and wiped the spilt tear away. The two stared at one another for a moment or two, probably longer than they should have, before Adam seemed to realize what he was doing and let his arm fall.

"So," K said, glad to change the subject entirely. "What brings you to New Orleans?"

"Family." Adam said with a smile and a sigh. "I got a couple cousins in Jackson's pack, and when I turned I came down here. Dad didn't really know what to do with me, ya know? He never turned, just one of my other cousins and me."

K nodded heavily. She didn't want to ask what death had caused his curse to be awakened.

As they began to sway to the music again and the tension lifted partially, Adam felt another smile form.

"You got no idea how surprised I was to see you walkin' into the bayou." He said. K looked up and smiled. "Never thought I'd see you again and bam, there you were."

"You could've said hi."

"By barking?" he teased.

K rolled her eyes. "I was there this morning."

"Yeah," he nodded. Adam chewed on the inside of his cheek briefly. "That was kind of intense."

K shrugged a single shoulder as though it didn't bother her, but Adam could see otherwise.

"So, how many wives do you have now?"

When K looked up she could see a blush on Adam's cheeks and it made her laugh happily. His blush got worse.

"Oh god." He groaned. "That was a long time ago, okay? I was just a kid."

"A confident kid." She teased. "You proposed to Bonnie, me _and_ Shiela."

His blush got even brighter than before.

"I was eight!" he defended. "And I never said _will you marry me_."

"No," she laughed. "You just told us you'd marry us one day and handed us a ring pop."

"Well what did you expect?" he asked rhetorically. Adam was more than willing to let his bravado take over just to avoid further embarrassment. "You guys were the most beautiful women I'd ever seen."

K would have blushed if she could, but she looked like she was trying to hide one regardless. It was a good sign to Adam.

"Yeah well, Shelia had to break your little heart and tell you she was too old." She teased lightly. "Then you came to me and when I told you I was too old, you tried to marry Bonnie."

He shrugged indifferently. "You look like the right age to me now."

She narrowed her eyes playfully on him.

"Right, cause that could only be good." She said sarcastically. "A werewolf and a vampire." As they moved, K noticed Klaus emerge within the crowd. He seemed to spot her at the same moment and his face turned dark. "Besides," K sighed when she turned her attention back to Adam. "You don't even know the kind of baggage I come with."

Before Adam could say anything else on the matter, continue flirting shamelessly or even ask what she'd been up to, the sound of breaking tore their attention away from each other.

"Shit." K muttered. She and Adam soon joined the gathering crowd.

Diego had attacked Oliver. When the vampire threw the werewolf across the courtyard and forced him to crash through a table, Elijah had enough. He grabbed Oliver and slammed his head into another table while Jackson took hold of Diego.

Hayley intervened. She told them all how ridiculous their feud was, that if they couldn't just get along they might as well kill each other and be done with it. K agreed entirely. The constant bickering was simply exhausting.

Thoroughly called out and put in their place both Jackson and Elijah released their captives. They tried to act like nothing had happened, to restart the party again, but K had something she wanted to do first. She excused herself from Adam and walked through the crowd straight towards Diego and Jackson with rage on her face. Jackson gripped the hilt of his stake tightly, assuming the fight was going to be with him considering how he'd treated her earlier in the day, but it wasn't. To everyone's shock she was aiming her ire at Diego.

Before anyone could fathom the action, her hand was clamped firmly on his throat. He choked and coughed, but never had the chance to speak. With a flick of the wrist, she snapped his neck and let his body crumple to the ground. K turned to the crowd.

"The next one of you day walkers that disrespects this house," she declared to the vampires congregated. K bent down, slid a piece of jewelry from Diego's finger and held it up. "I take your ring. Do it again, I take your _god damn_ head. You hear me?!"

No one spoke, but the vampires shifted uncomfortably in their spots. Ensuring she made her point, K turned back to Diego. With less effort than most would have thought, the young woman bent down and flung the vampire over her shoulder. Holding him with a single arm, she walked through the parting crowd to put him somewhere out of the way.


	51. Chapter 51

**Ch. 50 was replaced with a new chapter too, btw. Enjoy!**

Chapter 51

Eventually, the party commenced again, though there were some who still couldn't believe what had happened.

When the rest of the congregated people began to disperse, Elijah called those he had at the table to a separate area. K once again had to excuse herself from Adam.

Elijah had drawn up a list of not only rules and guidelines, but a way of life he thought everyone could agree with. It was simple and to the point.

With a large brass bowl set in the center of the table, Elijah retrieved a dagger from his pocket. The others eyed him skeptically when he told them the agreement would be signed in blood, but gradually began to agree. Each cut open their hand and poured their blood into the bowl which Elijah used as ink.

Elijah signed on behalf of the Originals, Diego the day walkers and K because Elijah trusted her. Genevieve signed for the witches, Hayley the wolves and Francesca for the humans. When K went to write her name, Elijah noticed she only signed her first.

"And your last." He told her simply.

She looked up at him.

"I don't have a last name." she replied.

It was a strange thing, but true. The reason the Mikaelsons were called such was because they were –besides Rebekah- the _sons_ of Mikael. Mikaelson. K never had that. She didn't know her parents and was born in a time surnames weren't used, only houses you belonged to. She didn't have that either. But Elijah simply smiled kindly to her.

"Then it's about time, isn't it?"

K, still holding the pen, looked away and thought for a moment. One thing came to mind, a word that could possibly be used as a surname. So, she chose it and simply signed _Kalliope Tantum._ It encompassed a great portion of her life which was perhaps more depressing than she realized. Elijah eyed the name curiously, wondering briefly why it was chosen. His Latin was rusty.

The crowds left behind were little more than the wolves who'd come to the party and some of the witches. K knew they were about to leave and still ignoring the lingering glares from Klaus, she stepped towards Adam who'd been walking in her direction.

"So," he said with a smile. "Hell of a party."

She laughed under her breath and shook her head.

"Yeah well, what can I say? We vampires are a laugh a minute."

Jackson called for Adam. The young man nodded to his Alpha and looked back to K.

"I gotta head out." He told her.

K nodded. She had no idea how she was supposed to proceed. She hadn't seen the kid in more than ten years and even then she never thought anything of it. But apparently she'd made an impression on the little boy more than willing to marry any pretty face he met. The thought was still adorable to her.

"Can I give you a call?"

"Uh, yeah." She replied, surprised he asked. "Hayley's got my number."

"Right. See you later." He said with a smile.

K nodded. Their parting was a bit awkward, but there was nothing either could do about it. Considering what they were, just speaking to each other made for a tense situation with their friends. Both of them knew they were going to catch hell from their respective species about being even remotely cozy with the other.

With everyone else gone –including the witches and anyone who didn't live at the compound- K went to her room to shower, eat and sleep while Elijah took the scroll to his brother. He knew Klaus well enough to see his underlining plans were likely diabolical in nature.

"Sign it." Elijah repeated, still holding the blood red writing tool.

"Fine." Klaus sighed.

He snatched the pen and dipped it in the blood of those who belonged to the signatures staring back at him. He read them with mild interest before spotting K's. His hand stopped, the pen still within the blood and his brows came together at the name. Elijah noticed, but before he could comment on it, Klaus snapped himself out of the stupor and signed.

"You're a fool if you think they'll adhere to this agreement." Klaus replied, tossing the pen into the blood bottle.

"You're welcome to wager against me brother," Elijah sighed, taking the parchment into his hand and sure not to jostle it in case the blood would run and muss the signatures. "But you will lose."

The eldest brother left shortly after with his agreement in hand. Klaus didn't bother saying a parting farewell, but did mutter to himself.

"We'll see."

Still, as he looked at the painting he'd only just finished and laid out his plans in his mind, he was distracted by what K had chosen for her surname. Tantum was Latin for alone.

K was sitting on her bed putting on lotion after her shower. She didn't need the moisturizer since her skin never changed, but she liked the scent of it and the routine of it made her feel normal, human and let her mind wander.

There was a light knock on her door and K absently told whoever it was to enter. She glanced up and smiled warmly as Elijah stepped into her room. He returned the sentiment.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked as she closed the lotion bottle and set it aside.

"I thought I should commend you for the way you handled Diego earlier." He said, coming far enough into her room to stand across from her.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Though, to be honest, I might have overreacted. I think I took a little of my aggression out on him."

Elijah smirked lightly, but knew what aggression she was talking about. His smile faded when he met her eyes again.

"I cannot begin to make excuses for my brother-"

"Then don't." she interrupted.

"However," Elijah said, continuing on as though he felt he needed to. "He does care for you, in his own… misguided way."

K scoffed and shook her head. She looked down and began to pick at her fingernails.

"He thinks he does." She replied.

Elijah's eyes narrowed curiously.

"How do you mean?"

K reluctantly met his eyes. "He thinks he cares about me because he did at some point and assumes that since I reappeared, he should again. Niklaus doesn't know how to think about anyone other than himself. He might consider them, but in the end he does whatever he wants regardless." She shook her head and let it fall again. "I'm done with it."

"You're leaving?"

"No," she shook her head. She could tell he was worried she might leave while he was still reconstructing the city and he needed someone he trusted to help him. "At least not anytime soon, but I'm not going to placate him anymore. I've spent my entire life –literally- conforming to someone else's. I'm done."

Elijah couldn't help the mildly proud smile that formed on his lips. While he knew her declaration would inevitably cause Klaus to react wildly, he was impressed with K's decision to live for herself. She didn't deserve how his brother was treating her, not after Klaus's claimed affections and quick disregard to them. He'd originally thought that if Klaus was near the young woman who he'd once and obviously loved, his actions might calm. Apparently too much time had passed or Klaus was just too broken.

There was another issue, however, one he thought he should bring up.

"And the wolf you were speaking to earlier," Elijah began. K's eyes traveled upward and he could see the warning. "Friend of yours?" he asked with a grin.

"From a long time ago." She replied. "He was a kid the last time I saw him."

"He seems rather taken with you."

"And?"

Elijah laughed internally. He knew she wanted him to be sure of whatever he was going to say, but he wasn't judging her like she assumed. Elijah had no intention of getting involved in K's personal life, he just wanted her to be sure she understood the consequences of even forming a friendship with another man while Klaus was nearby.

"Well," Elijah said after a moment of silence, drawing K's eyes in the process. He kept his warm smile and decided to drop the subject entirely. "Goodnight, Kalli."

"Night Elijah."

With a nod, he left her alone for the evening.

Neither was aware their conversation wasn't private. Not only were they spied on, but it was the subject of their discussion that listened.

When he heard the knock on the door, Klaus's ears naturally perked to whatever the conversation might be and was surprised at what he heard. He instantly began to listen and couldn't believe it. He heard her say she was finished with him and it made his chest ache.

Klaus wasn't far from his art and began to riffle through the loose pages. His brows were furrowed and his actions nearly erratic until he found one of the drawings he was looking for. Catching a glimpse of it, he gently grabbed the corner between his finger tips and pulled it from beneath the others. It was another drawing of K.

She was smiling kindly, sweetly, and staring adoringly at him through the page. The simple sketch hit him as hard as Rebekah admitting she hated him.

And then there was the issue of her new friend. Every time Klaus saw the wolf's image in his mind, his anger began to rise to a nearly unimaginable degree. He began to wonder if his plans, or at least the way he was going about them, was the smartest. Perhaps he could have gotten a witch on his side another way… unlikely. He needed Genevieve to trust him completely, to think she was in love with him and that he actually cared about her. There was no way to do that without hurting K. But that didn't mean he had to sit back and let her move on without him either.

~~~!~~~

The following day, K was lying on her bed, nestled peacefully within the music in her ears. She had been there for an hour or better with ear buds in and music playing from her phone. She couldn't remember a time she felt more at ease. The world outside her was quiet, drown out by the music and she was completely comfortable.

At the moment she was listening to her playlist entitled _Blues_. There was something about the genre she absolutely adored. The instruments… the passionate singing… the lyrics and with the stories told, Blues was just a timeless bit of music. Besides, she was in New Orleans. It seemed fitting.

Dr. John. Muddy Waters. B.B. King. John Lee Hooker. Cab Calloway. Stevie Wonder. Ray Charles. Aretha Franklin. James Brown. Robert Johnson.

And those names barely even scratched the surface. There were so many more, nearly countless names of men and women both who'd contributed such wonderful songs and stories to the world of Blues music. And all of them were compressed into small bits of memory on her phone. The thought made K smile considering the sheer volume of albums she still owned that filled a dozen boxes with the same artists.

When the playlist was over, she had every intention of listening to her _Classic 50's_ playlist. It was what she was in the mood for, a little Everly Brothers, maybe Frankie Lymon, she wasn't sure, but she didn't have anything else to do. Klaus was somewhere or something… she didn't care. Elijah was likely contending with some more business and K had no obligations that she knew of so she'd slack.

Right in the middle of _Boom, Boom, Boom,_ K's phone began to ring. She grumble but answered it regardless. Like when she was preoccupied when Elijah called her, K answered the phone, but let it rest on her chest. After all, the headphones would let her hear whoever was on the other line clearly.

"Yeah?" she answered, returning her arms to their spot beneath her head, her eyes still closed and looking to anyone else that she was sleeping.

"_Kalli, hey._" Hayley greeted halfheartedly on the other end.

"Hey." K replied, still remaining as she was before. "You need something?"

To anyone else, the statement might have seemed a little cold, but the truth of the matter was K and Hayley weren't close friends which meant neither called the other without a purpose.

"_No, not really, but I was wondering if you might wanna stop by? I'm bored."_ She joked.

K smiled to herself, but it lasted seconds at most.

"I uh, I don't think that'd be a very good idea." She replied. "I mean, your brethren really don't want me around. They made that pretty clear last time."

"_Don't worry about them. I can take care of it."_

The smirk returned. "Well look at you mama wolf." She teased. "As long as you can promise everyone'll keep their teeth to themselves, I guess I can stop by for a little while. It's not like I have anything to do here."

Hayley agreed and ended the call. K's music immediately picked back up and she let it. Heaving herself up and off the bed, K slipped on her increasingly favorite pair of wedged heels, put her phone into her back pocket so she would have to carry it and left. She had to admit she was a little excited to see how Adam was doing. She didn't get to catch up with him too much.

She hummed and sang softly to herself as she walked through the compound and into the courtyard. She almost didn't hear someone calling her. Popping out one of the buds, K looked to her left and spotted Diego staring angrily at her with a few of his friends nearby.

"What?" she sighed in annoyance.

"Where the hell's my ring?!"

"Safe." She answered in the same carefree tone.

"When the hell do I get it back?!" he demanded from the shadows, forcing K to pause before she could put the ear bud back in.

He was beginning to annoy her.

"When you prove you can act like a damn adult and not some pissed off five year old." She shot back without hesitation. She stared angrily at the vampire and his friends. "You're out of control and taking your ring for granted."

"That _dog-_"

"It's not just about the wolves." K interrupted sternly. "You think I don't know you're the one that slaughtered those tourists? Or that cop?" Diego shifted his footing slightly, but tried to remain angry and defiant. "Exactly. You'll get it back when you earn it."

And that was the end of the conversation. K put her ear bud back in, started listening again to her music and left the grounds. She knew once she was gone Diego or his friends would probably go through her room, but it wouldn't do them any good. She knew how to protect her 'home' from unwanted vampires. They'd barely get through the threshold and it wouldn't matter if they could. The ring wasn't there.

~~~!~~~

K was in her own world as she neared the cabin. Her feet were on autopilot, carrying her somewhere they'd been more than once before so her attention didn't have to be on anything in particular. As it was, she was still whistling and singing to herself, even dancing slightly as she took her time. She opted to travel by foot instead of in the car this time. She figured it was just easier.

Being so deep in her own world, K had no idea she was being stalked the closer she grew to the cabin. She probably wouldn't have cared either, but when she made it to the end of the driveway and actually looked up, she paused. K let her sunglasses slide down her nose so she could see Hayley and half the wolves staring at her in wide eyed disbelief, some even holding sarcastic smirks on their lips.

"What?" she asked with an innocent shrug. K held up her phone. "You don't like Johnny Cash_?_"

Hayley laughed. She shook her head and couldn't help but bury her face in her hands.

"Well that's just un-American." K continued. She popped out her head phones and stashed her things in her pocket.

"Whatever." Hayley replied, still unable to keep a smile from her lips. "You got no room to talk. You weren't even born in this country."

"Yeah well, it wasn't a country when I was born, so ha."

Hayley shook her head again and crossed her arms so they could rest on her belly.

"You're in a good mood."

"I guess." K shrugged as she stepped closer. "I'm trying to make Diego cry."

"Isn't he the day walker you carried off last night?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "He's pissed I won't give him his ring back."

"Why not?"

Hayley asked the question before she could stop herself or think better of it. She'd just grown so accustomed to seeing vampires in the daylight, part of her tended to forget that wasn't how things were supposed to be.

"He doesn't deserve it." K answered simply. "All of Marcel's little minions think they can do whatever the hell they want and no one's going to do anything about it. All Klaus ever did was try to placate them so they'd listen to him and Elijah doesn't truly care about them enough to train any of them,"

"But you do?" Jackson asked as he stepped forward.

K turned her head to him. There was a tense air pulsing between them, but Hayley couldn't tell if it was mutual or coming more from the wolves than K.

"Care about them? Not in the least." K admitted freely.

"But you're going to train them? Bend them to your will?"

K suddenly realized why he seemed to be a bit tense. If she didn't know any better, he seemed to be taking the term a little too personally, like by her saying she'd train the vampires, it somehow included the wolves. She wasn't intimidated by it.

"Or crush them under my heel, yeah." She nodded. A smirk touched the corner of Jackson's lips whether he realized it or not. "They got spoiled when Marcel ran things and that isn't going to happen while I'm around."

"How'd you even get put in charge of the day walkers?" Hayley asked.

"Elijah." She said simply. "Still not totally sure why yet, but I'm having a little fun with it." She giggled lightly and chewed on her bottom lip before spotting Adam walking up behind Jackson with a smile of his own. "Hey."

"Hey." He greeted.

They didn't notice the stares they were getting from the others for a while until half of the pack started howling and making teasing cat calls at Adam. It lightened the mood substantially.


	52. Chapter 52

**This is really short, but it's just a little something for now. As of this moment, I'm done with the story until it starts airing again. I don't want to get too far ahead and write myself into a corner. So, I hope you enjoy it and I'll be back in a couple weeks!**

Chapter 52

The mood was so much lighter than before. There was still a bit of tension between the wolves who hated every vampire in existence, but if K felt it she didn't let on. She was aware, in fact, but for Hayley and Adam's sake -the two of them having to remain behind when she left- K behaved and didn't remark on those glaring at her from the background.

They talked and joked, Hayley a nice little buffer between K and the wolves, and acted as though everything was normal. It was kind of nice.

The sun began to set and like every other time before, a fire was lit in the pit. Music played, a grill was lit up and drinks were passed around. K admired the wolves. There was such an overwhelming sense of family between all of them, it was unbelievable. It made her jealous.

The fire began to dwindle and just because she knew most of them would breathe easier without her right there, K offered to gather fire wood. Hayley said she'd join her, but K told her to stay put. Adam, on the other hand, wasn't as easily swayed. He followed the young woman whether she wanted him too or not. After all, there might be monsters in the woods.

He carried some large branches in his arms that had been broken down into manageable sizes while K continued picking up more to add to his pile.

"So how long you known Hayley?" Adam asked as they continued to walk.

"Not long." K answered. "A couple months I guess. You?"

"Just as long as she's been coming round here." He replied. Adam raised a brow and let a smirk touch his lips. "How bout the Mikaelsons?"

K, holding a few sticks in her hands, paused when she approached him. She noticed the grin and cocked a brow to it. She dropped the wood into his open arms.

"How long have you been waiting to ask _that_ question?" she teased as they started to move again.

"A while." He admitted. "They don't bother you or anything?"

"Why would they?" she laughed.

"That Elijah guy seems okay, but from what I've heard, Klaus is a dick."

K laughed before she could stop herself. She couldn't help it. Adam smiled, but was honestly curious.

"Yeah well, I'm used to them I guess." She said with a light giggle. "Besides, I've known that family since I was eleven."

"Aren't you a couple hundred years old or something?"

"Awe, you're adorable." She teased, placing a few more sticks in his arms. "Not even a little bit."

The two continued to talk and wander, tease each other and ask random questions. It was nice, foreign to K, but nice.

On their way back, K was walking along the water's edge and did her best to keep from sinking in the Louisiana mud. She didn't notice Adam glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as she leapt effortlessly from one turned over tree stump to another with her own bundle of wood. He thought he was being sly enough not to get caught, but he continued for so long she finally did notice.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked absently as they neared the camp.

"Not staring, just thinking." He clarified.

"About what?"

"What the hell you're supposed to do on a date with a vampire."

"What?"

His answer had been so unexpected, K looked up the moment she should have been looking down and stumbled when her toe slipped off the edge of a rock. She caught herself quickly, but did manage to drop a few sticks. Clearing her throat, K stood upright again and picked up what she'd dropped, trying to act as though he hadn't completely surprised her.

"So," she said under her breath as they continued to walk. Adam tried not to chuckle too loudly. "What?"

"Well it's not like you drink coffee and we don't have the same diet, so I was just trying to figure out what I could use as an excuse to see you again."

K knew her cheeks would burn crimson if they could. She'd never had someone seem so interested in her before and those who were before tended to freak out when they found out she wasn't human. They had always been innocent little teenage boys she met while still trying to play the part of a Bennett witch's friend in school. Poor things.

But Adam wasn't on that list. He was an adult first and foremost and actually knew about the supernatural. He was a werewolf which meant he was well read on most everything that went bump in the night. But that also brought with it its own list of troubles. He was a werewolf.

"Uh," she muttered softly. Adam could see the uncertainty in her eyes and it forced him to pause in his step. His smile faded slightly. "You really think that'd be a good idea? I mean, our factions aren't exactly on the best of terms."

Adam seemed to weigh her concerns with little to none of his own. He wasn't worried about it, but she was. Without bothering to bring Klaus into the mix –who was his own level of crazy- Jackson was the Alpha. He was basically their dad in a lot of ways and if he said Adam couldn't take K out, well then Adam couldn't take K out and there was nothing he could do about it. She didn't want to point that fact out however. There wasn't a way she could phrase it without it sounding a little insulting.

"We'll see." Was all he said before leading her back to the campsite.

Almost immediately the pair received taunts and jokes from the wolves who weren't bothered by the vampire. They teased Adam about not having any staying power and how he must not have been that great if K came back looking just as put together as she had when she left. He ignored them but laughed while K buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. That seemed to make them smile wider.

K's phone began to ring not twenty minutes later and after the sun was entirely gone. She reached for it and answered it without second thought, still smiling from something Hayley had said.

"Hello?" she asked with a giggle lingering in her voice.

"_Kalli,"_

"Elijah," she was still smiling, but the laugh had gone. The name seemed to garner some glances. "What can I do for you?"

He could hear the music in the background, the talking and felt he might already know where she was.

"_Are you with the pack?"_

"I am." She nodded, the smile beginning to fade. "There a problem with that?"

"_No_." he replied as though he wasn't entirely sure himself. "_But I'm afraid you're needed here."_

"Something wrong?"

"_Perhaps you should just come home."_

Elijah ended the call before giving her anything else to go on. K pulled the phone away and stared at it skeptically.

"Something wrong?" Hayley asked.

"I have no clue." K replied honestly. She pushed herself up from her seat and dusted herself off. "I think I should be heading back."

"Yeah, okay." Hayley nodded, her mind wondering if something was truly wrong.

"I'll talk to you later." She told the young woman before catching sight of Adam out of the corner of her eye. He'd been sitting near her and when she looked at him, she could see a plotting grin on his lips. It made her smile and shake her head in disbelief. "Bye."

Adam didn't speak, but he kept the smirk and waved. Before they could blink, K was gone.

~~!~~

Elijah slid his phone into his jacket pocket and turned. His movements hesitated almost immediately when confronted by the blackened stare of his younger brother. He quickly recovered from the surprise of it and straightened his jacket before leisurely putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yes?" he asked simply.

Klaus stepped forward. His sky blue eyes were black with anger and rage, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful and his shoulders slumped forward as he stalked closer to Elijah. He looked like a predator. But the eldest Mikaelson -while disturbed by it- easily kept the emotions from his features.

"And who, dear brother, was that?" he asked in a voice so low and deep in tone it only added further discomfort to the situation.

"You know very well who that was." Elijah answered simply.

"Hm." Klaus grumbled. "And where has little Kalli gone to this evening?"

Elijah raised a brow.

"Why are you asking questions to which you already know the answer, Niklaus?"

There was a flicker of fire that glimmered inside Klaus's eyes. Elijah took a step closer to his brother and kept his own face blank.

"Perhaps instead of asking me pointless questions, you speak to her when she gets home?" he offered rhetorically.

Elijah stepped around Klaus, ready to let the conversation lie, but the hybrid wasn't.

"To what point and purpose?" Klaus dared. He turned to face Elijah completely. "That little girl-"

"That _little girl_," Elijah interrupted, repeating the phrase with derision to show Klaus how distasteful it was. "Has seemed to finally find some sense of friendship and belonging after you have repeatedly pursued and then rebuffed her."

"You side with her?"

Elijah sighed and dropped his head briefly before meeting his brother's eyes.

"Not everything is a betrayal, Niklaus. Can you blame her for preferring to remain elsewhere while you continually flout your relationship with that despicable witch Genevieve?"

Klaus didn't reply and Elijah didn't expect him to. With a parting glance, the elder brother walked away. Seconds later, K came into view in the courtyard below. She began to walk towards the stairs and never bothered to glance at the hybrid watching her, judging her silently in his mind while repeatedly thinking of what she could have possibly done curing her time in the bayou.


End file.
